The Peoples Democratic Party has faulted an allegation by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, that members of the party’s National Working Committee are tax collectors.
The PDP reacted to the governor’s claim in a press statement by its National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, Wednesday.
Newsmen had reported that Wike on Tuesday pulled out of the reconciliation of the Edo State chapter of the PDP.
He also accused some members of the National Working Committee of the PDP of “being sycophants and tax collectors who would never tell the truth”.
Wike made the allegations after a publication accused him of sponsoring disunity among PDP members in Edo.
The PUNCH reports that despite efforts by leaders of the party, some aspirants of the PDP have refused to step down for Governor Godwin Obaseki to be the sole candidate of the PDP in the Edo Governorship election.
One of them, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, had asked a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to bar Obaseki from participating in the primary election of the PDP in Edo State.
But the PDP said the publication was sponsored by “external forces”.
“The PDP wishes to state that no member of its National Working Committee sponsored any media publication to castigate and malign the person of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.
“The party described such publication as the handwork of external forces and enemies of the PDP who are bent on sowing seeds of discord within the party.
“The NWC also wishes to place on record that none of its members has acted like a tax collector in whatever meaning the term represents, either in the process leading to the Edo primary election or any other state.”
The PDP called for unity among its members, urging them to resist an attempt by “enemies” to cause a crisis in the party.
It added, “Our party holds Wike and indeed all our PDP governors, who, of course, have been the pillars of our great party, with the utmost respect and had always consulted them on all party affairs.
“The PDP appreciates the efforts and sacrifices of our governors and will not allow enemies of our party, who are out to cause disunity in our fold by sponsoring baseless publications against our leaders, to have their way.
“This time demands the unity of all our leaders in order to keep our political rivals, who are facing extinction, from importing their crises into our party.
“The PDP remains one indivisible family and our members are on alert and will continue to resist every attempt by external forces to divide our ranks at this critical time.”
