 Ryfosteig Gofnog Neson Wike on Thursday fired back at the chairman of the People's Democratic Party, Jocha Aiu, for referring to some members of the party as children. Wike challenged Aiu to show himself as a man of honour and integrity by fulfilling his promise that he would vacate the chairmanship seat if the northern region produces the presidential candidates of the party. According to reports, after losing the PDP presidential primary to former vice president Atikwa Bulbaka, Ryfosteig Gofnog Neson Wike outlined conditions for remaining within the party. One of the reported conditions is that Aiu, who hails from Benraith State, also who is a northerner, must resign. While joining us to discuss this is Dr Chidi Lloyd, he is the chairman and more local government area in Ryfosteig and Ose and then he is a People's Democratic Party member. Ose, so good to have you join us. Glad to be here. Great. Let's first lay a foundation here. Of course, it's no longer news that there's been a back and forth between Govno Wike and of course the chairman of your party. Many would say that this is a Wike problem, but there are those who have come out to say that this is a southern caucus situation and that there was a previous agreement within the party as to how things would turn out if a northerner picked up that ticket. It's now that we know that the former vice president is holding that ticket and he's the candidate for the People's Democratic Party. One would wonder why the chairman is still seated there. Again, it's a pleasure to be on your program again and you have a really good question. So the PDP structure is north heaven if that's the phrase I can use. Our presidential candidate is from the north, our chairman is from the north, a DOT chairman is from the north and so you can make an argument for one of these offices to be to move to the south. The problem we sort of face is that we are about 26 days away from the south of campaign and the PDP constitution actually says that even if the chairman were to resign or step down or step aside the constitution says the person who rotated him is the deputy chairman north. Who would also be a northerner? So, you know, the resignation of IU doesn't quite cure what Governor Witte and the southern caucus, as you call them, are asking for. Is it possible? Yes, it's possible. I think that an emergency convention will have to get rid of the chairman and deputy chairman north so that the deputy chairman south on the Rafaja comes into office or elect new executives into the seat. But as you can see, it's not a simple process. It's not as simple as asking IU to step aside. I'm just to put on detail to what he actually said. Even though there was general understanding that if a northern candidate emerged, the chairman would step aside. What IU actually said was that he would only step aside if the party asked him to and that would be the next or the DOT or his end of next year and that hasn't quite happened yet. What I do, I do sympathize 100% with the southern caucus. We are going into a national election. And like I said, I don't think it's sensible for the PGP to go in north heaven. As you well aware, she has asked that not only should IU step down but the chairman should actually come to the south west so that in the south west we can campaign against an APT for instance who is building a candidate from the south west. Great. Dr Lloyd, you're just joining us on this call. So I'm going to turn to you. Yesterday Governor Wike again made the news. He talked directly of course to the chairman of the party and he did make some statements that left a lot of people wondering about he working against the party. What exactly do you think the government by that? Well, first let me thank you for this opportunity. And to also say that the governor of Riversdale didn't leave any ambiguity in what he said. What he said was correct. What the chairman of the party said. That his arrogance does appear that he does not see a chairman that would leave the party. And that of course if at his request the national chairman will assist him. So there is no ambiguity in what Governor Wike. But just like Osir has just said, it's a few days to the start of campaigns for the elections in 2023. That is obviously upsetting and what does this mean for the party in itself? As much as there is some infighting, if a governor who obviously is a governor of Riversdale and one of the strongholds of the PDP comes out in public to make these kinds of statements, that does mean that he obviously does not want his party to win in 2023. And so what does that mean? That is not correct, my sister. What happened? A national chairman of the party should not normally refer to the governor of his party as Idre. So you know there is cause and effect. So to look at what necessities have come from the party. And unfortunately I said in this programme on this platform that what happened is that the PDP have begetted his pulpit to strangers. And the strangers are people like the national party. But when he defected just like Idre, when he defected from the PDP, if the likes of Governor Wike who have never left the party had left, I would have been nothing for you to come back to. Let alone describe people who have stood their ground and supported the party as Idre. But what the other you did not tell the public about outside PDP was how he came and knelt down and cried to the governor to be national chairman. And he did also tell the party what he said about outside planning and how they hate people of Ben Weston. So what is shocked today to see him coming and doing the same thing. I have always said that it is not the attitude of the political party. All you would have done naturally has not happened. It is to make sure he brings everybody together so that we can... Dr Lloyd, we are having a problem with your connection. You are breaking. I am hoping that the guys can fix that. But let me just go back to what we tried to fix your audio. I am going back to what Governor Wike said yesterday. Some parts of his statement read that because of the insincerity and the part of the leadership of the party, he is saying that Nigerians must be careful. I would like to quote him directly. Thinking if you give these people power, how grateful will they be to Nigerians? I have kept quiet thinking they will reconcile. Now that you have become arrogant to say you were elected, where did you campaign? Where were your campaign posters? Even when we gave you money to print posters, you pocketed it. Now let's talk about the sincerity. Of course, all of these things Nigerians are taking mental nerds, if not real nerds. And like I said, we are just a few days away from campaign. Should people be worried, especially those who are followers of the People's Democratic Party, can these fences be mended any time soon? And you have listened to the Amor Ha local government chairman as to what he said. That is a really good question again. I will just remind listeners that politicians we speak in very, very mellys. We are much in very, very theatrical language. We are in campaign season almost. And we will see a lot of bombast verbosity in the way we speak. And he is saying that I would urge members of the PDT and leadership of the PDT to exercise on restraint. So it is fine when you are speaking positively, but sometimes these excesses and passions might flow when you start expressing grievances. So just as I would condemn the chairman's use of, you know, the words, the priority of children in describing leaders and governors of the party, I would also condemn language that just as the chairman was kicked out of the gutter. And the problem with this kind of escalation is that you get to a point where it almost becomes impossible to maintain. We aren't at that point yet. It's of note that the candidate himself was very atycho above-the-cast. He isn't engaged in this type of rhetoric or back-and-forth. And has always had the standing as a unifier for the party. It's open to negotiations. It's open to addressing all the differences that anybody might fall. And I don't think that we are at the point where, you know, Alamdor, Chathal Ringgain, either within the party or nationally, that we are unable to get our houses in order before something starts. You know, so, you know, my brother, when he was killed in Lloyd, I would also urge him to exercise on restraint. This is a public platform. And it does us no good to integrate a diminished character just because we are backing for one side. Ultimately, Governor Richard West is absolutely pleased with the very honest, upright, portrait person. But there are some conversations that I think that he and the candidates will have to hold behind closed doors and not on the podium, backed by Shingin Barnard. Talking about meetings behind closed doors, we saw that happen over the weekend in the UK. We saw a lot of politicians meeting with the former president, Lucia Gwmpasundor. We even saw the presidential candidate for your party. Governor Wickey was there. We saw the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. Of course, we would have thought that these conversations would have been had. And this would have been, you know, one way or the other, a dowser for the tension. But here we are again having this conversation. So really, are these talks ever going to work? What you're seeing in drama is that it's not a conversation. And Governor Wickey is the head of a core course from the south. And, you know, they have put out what they want, one of which is that the chairman should step down, just so we get a little bit more balance going into elections. There are some other conditions that they have asked for. And the candidate, Wazir Aftifru, is considering these conditions. Some of them I know he needs to meet. Some of them require a little bit more negotiation. But we sort of are having, like, sideline distractions. What I would respectfully call them, where people who aren't actually part of the conversation are getting involved and are distracting the candidates and are distracting Governor Wickey. I think this thing is going to be resolved primarily by Governor Wickey and his excellency, Abovaca Articul, and everything else is just noise and distraction at this point. The fact that they are still talking and negotiating is sign for both. Doctor Lord, I think we have you back now. Let me come back to you on this issue. I was trying to ask, I mean, Governor Wickey had come out earlier on to say he would never go anywhere else. He would work for the PDP. He would work to make sure that the PDP wins at the polls. But then, fast forward to yesterday, he's singing a different song. Now, what does this also do to the psyche of the voters in River State, being that he, of course, is the governor of the state, and that's the ruling party? Does this not signal that there's trouble in paradise, and this might one way or the other, give you more undecided votes as opposed to giving you more PDP votes? I'm wondering. Well, if I listen carefully, I think there would have been no need for this. If it's where those who are talking and was there above this, I would not want to act out. Yeah, Dr Lloyd, I think we're still having connection issues. I don't know if you're using a hearing, you know, an earpiece or something. I think you have to ditch that because it's interfering and we're unable to hear you. Can you hear me now? Yes, I can. Go ahead, please. Yeah, I said, if I listen to my brother Osei into this interview, it would have been necessary since he said those who speak or continue to speak for either Wike or Abubaka or Higu are distracting them. I wouldn't want to be one of those who distract any or either of them. Okay. But you didn't really answer my question as to what this back and forth is.