Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has declared that Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike remains the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Even as he expressed confidence that the crisis currently rocking the party would be resolved before the 2023 general elections, he urged presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and his loyalists to do the needful.

The former governor spoke on Friday as a guest of Governor Wike while inaugurating a project in Obuama, Rivers State.

Fayose said, “For me, I want to believe his Excellency Atiku Abubakar is not against you but let me say this quickly. A lot of people surrounding the throne are enemies of the throne; and a lot of people surrounding the throne have an issue to grind with somebody or some issues with somebody and they take it to where they are not supposed to take it.

“There is no living being within this party and outside this party that will not acknowledge your contribution to this party. You are the soul of this party even till now. What you do, how many people do it?

“Let me say your good works will never go unrewarded. I have found out some things. The people that have benefited from you are the people that have pulled people down — the people you brought up, the people you laboured over day and night.

“I believe the needful will be done because winning an election is all that matters. Wike has not come out to say that Atiku Abubakar is not the presidential candidate.

“I was there the second day after the election when our candidate, the former vice-president, visited the house, the residence of governor Wike, and we had mutual conversations. We were all happy. Everything was in place to move forward. I spoke at that meeting, but we don’t want to aggravate this situation.

“I am only appealing to people that matter. In every political party, there would be groupings, the same family, and different interests, but we can do better than we are doing. People around the corridor of power, please allow this candidate to win the election.

“We do not celebrate victory until it is ours. Even in my state, they said that Fayose is Tinubu’s man. Like I said, people were decamping — sitting governors. I did not. Some people believe that you have to destroy your leaders before they can rise.”

There has been division within the party after Abubakar won the party’s presidential election in May this year.

Party stakeholders, especially those from the South, had demanded that the party’s presidential ticket be zoned to the region.

However, following the outcome of the presidential primary, there have been calls for the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who is also from the North like Abubakar, to resign.

But Ayu has insisted that he will complete his tenure.