The Chairman of the 2016 Peoples Democratic Party National Convention Planning Committee and Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Saturday that the party allowed former Acting National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to go because his (Sheriff) leadership was destabilising the party.
Wike, who spoke after the national convention in Port Harcourt, explained that all along, the crisis in the PDP had been about the emergence of Sheriff as the acting leader of the party.
The governor, who recalled that Sheriff’s emergence as the PDP acting chairman was strongly opposed, stated that the party was more important than any individual.
He said, “All along, the crisis has been about the former acting chairman whose emergence was strongly opposed.
“This is destabilising the party and so, we had to let him go. What is important is the party and not the individual. No sacrifice is too much for anyone to make as far as PDP is concerned.”
Wike pointed out that he had no personal interest in supporting Senator Modu Sheriff as he was the best option at the time he (Sheriff) emerged.
He said that PDP would continue to grow from strength to strength as it remained the only hope for the country.
According to him, “We will not allow the PDP to die or suffer division under our watch. History will never forgive us if we watch the party die.”
The governor said the party leaders would work towards maintaining unity among all members of the party.
He said despite the challenges, the 2016 National Convention was successful as the party had been repositioned in the interest of the nation.
