The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has condemned the attack on him and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.

Obaseki accused Wike of unguarded and disruptive tendencies, following the Rivers State governor’s outburst on Shaibu, who raised concerns about how they were being treated in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after their defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Obaseki, in a statement he personally signed on Monday, described Wike’s outburst on Shaibu as “most unfortunate and totally uncalled for”.

The statement was titled, ‘Obaseki to Wike: PDP is not your personal property, Edo cannot be procured’.

He added that rather than personal attacks on Shaibu, Wike should have taken a cue from the way the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, responded to Edo deputy governor’s remarks.

Obaseki further stated that the Rivers governor attacked Shaibu without reaching out to him (Obaseki) as his counterpart before the public outburst.

He said while nobody is against Wike’s desire to run for President in 2023, he should not pursue his ambition in a disruptive manner.

The governor, however, called on the leaders of the PDP to caution Wike to “desist from his current unguarded and disruptive tendencies.”

Obaseki stated: “His Excellency, Governor Wike should have taken a cue from the manner in which the National Chairman of our party, Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, responded to my deputy’s remarks, as a conscientious leader who is able to show empathy and consideration.

“The concerns expressed by my deputy governor bordered on pertinent issues affecting the PDP in Edo State which since the September 19th 2020 elections, has been able to register over 500,000 members; and to date, these new members have not been properly integrated into our party after two years. Also, the leaders, executives and members who came with me into the party have still not been accepted, integrated or harmonized into the party.

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“We can categorically state that in the comments of the deputy governor, he at no point threatened the party as Governor Wike has alleged. Rather, it is Governor Wike, who has at different times, threatened the PDP.”

He added: “Undoubtedly, Governor Wike has contributed to the advancement of the party, just like others, since 1999.

“No one is against his desire to run for president, however, his ambition should not be embarked on in such a way that it would cause disruption at different levels, such as the PDP Governors’ Forum as well as different chapters of the party across the country.

“While Governor Wike is free to use his resources as he deems fit in pursuit of his ambition, he should not attempt to cow, intimidate, cajole and threaten others into doing his bidding. Edo State cannot and will not be procured for anyone’s personal ambition.

“In Edo, we don’t accept political bullies and overlords and historically, we have demonstrated our capacity to unshackle ourselves and dethrone bullies and highhanded leaders,” the governor said.

The Star