As the push for who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari rolls into the arena, the Peoples Democratic Party has remained in the eye of the storm owing to the deadlock between the Integrity Group comprising chiefly of Gov Nyesom Wike, the five PDP Governors and other great PDP Chieftains. The Party’s National Chairman, Sen Iyiorcha Ayu have become the subject of contention. In an exclusive conversation on NOL24 TV’s OUR POLITICS TODAY Program, the former Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, an academic Icon and a ranking PDP chieftain from Central Senatorial Zone of Delta State, Prof Patrick Muoboghare has thrown his weight behind Wike. In what he described as an honest battle, “Gov Wike is a Plural of a man and a dogged fighter”, he said.
Excerpts….
Reacting to the question on the lingering fight by Gov Wike of the G5 Governors group and the PDP Presidential campaign Group:
“Wike ! Each time I hear Wike’s name, I laugh. Somebody said Wike is a man, and I said no, Wike is not a man, Wike is the plural of a man, he is Men because he is a dogged fighter. I like dogged fighters.
Wike went in and he campaigned very heavily, although he made mistakes. If you wanted delegates from Delta and Edo states, you should fraternise with your brothers from the Midwest region.
Wike said the National championship should go to any political region in the South- is that asking for too much? ~ Prof Muoboghare
You cannot be abusing them and expect that they would vote for you at the Primaries in Abuja.
Having said that, Wike came second in the PDP primaries, just like his brother Rotimi Amechi came second in the All Progressives Congress Presidential Primary. Those Rivers people are very tough people. Wike accepted that; look I didn’t clinch the candidacy. I failed in the primaries, but we had agreed that should the presidential candidate come from the North, the Party’s National championship must move to the South. We agreed! Wike is saying that now that you have won, no problem oo , Ayu must be caused to resign and let the party chairmanship come to the South.
Wike is not saying make me the Party Chairman, he is not saying make Rivers State or the South south the Party chairman. But any Political Region from the south; is that asking for too much?
Much as I say that as a party man, Atiku has been nominated as Presidential candidate, my governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has been nominated as vice presidential candidate, and I would work for them, much as I accept that. That will succeed only if Ayu resigns, because that will be an insult. I mean, you are going to be president after your fellow Northern Fulani brother has had it for eight years. This small chairmanship position, give us let us feel a sense of belonging you say no that is too much. 
In this present regime, every key position is held by a northerner, name it; is it custom, is it TETFUND, is it NPA? just mention it. Is it Security and Minting Company? And we are watching, we are not violent. But just give us this one in PDP and you say these slaves are asking for too much. Even while on our knees we are begging, please give us this party chairmanship, we will manage that. We will just go and tell our people, look we fought o and we got party chairman. You don’t want us to show anything to our people that we got from this party. Is painful !
So in that case, Wike have tried and I encourage him. I pray for him everyday, do not give up on this party chairman fight. You see, if PDP had agreed that the Party Chairman should resign and indeed he resigned, these problems won’t be there. How can you be having PDP Presidential rallies and Gov Wike is not there, these other governors won’t be there.
Gov Ortom’s eyes are now open. He is one of the greatest victims in Nigeria. He was the chairman of the zoning committee, rather than being categorical that the Presidency should be zoned to the South East, he didn’t even say it should be zoned to the South. He just said no need for zoning. Now he is beginning to regret, he is with the Wike group.
But they should realise that these people that continues to vote for the PDP are not fools. Even a slave escapes when the opportunity comes, a slave never plans escape.”
