By Tunde Johnson, Abuja
The Congress of Yoruba Sons and Daughters who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party has taken a swipe at Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, over the insults he allegedly hauled on the Yoruba.
The Congress described his comment as irreverent, scandalous, arrogant and most myopic statement in the nation political space noting that it took a strong exemption to Wike’s comment that the Yoruba are inconsequential and have no practical political importance in the PDP.
A statement signed by Dayo Ogunjebe, Chairman of the Congress, demanded for an immediate and full apology from Wike for his used of‘’gutter language’’ against the Yoruba’s in PDP.
The statement entitled: “The Yoruba people: Time for reflection,” made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, recalled that Wike also described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a failure.
The group lamented that Wike’s comment was a reflection of how much the Yoruba in the PDP had been “pushed to the edge of the cliff” and relegated in the opposition party’s scheme of things.
It said the Yoruba in the PDP had been cheated by the failure to elect a Yoruba man as the national chairman of the PDP.
“Our leaders are being mocked. Our symbols of truth and sincerity are now being derided, snubbed, treated with contempt and disowned.
“The irreverent, scandalous, arrogant and most myopic statement of the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, is the crowning of all insults upon our people.
“Wike, in his most arrogant and selfish swagger, openly derided our people as being inconsequential and of no practical political importance in the PDP.
“This is rather scandalous and very benighted. He even insulted our former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as a failure. This is an aberration.
“We at the Congress of Yoruba Sons and Daughters within the PDP fold are outraged, angry, disappointed, very sad and sickened about this very primitive utterance of Governor Wike.
Ogunjebe said the Yoruba did not deserve to be unfairly treated in the PDP, having “worked assiduously for the growth and development of the PDP.”
He said, “In both financial and moral terms, the Yoruba people have been selfless, making tremendous sacrifices. (They have been) consistent and devoted to the growth of our party.
“But we have been cheated. We have been maligned. The chairmanship position that rightly belongs to us has been taken away. It has been sold to the highest bidder.
“Let Wike and the Yoruba betrayers at home know that we will never play the role of a second fiddle to anyone. We are proud of our heritage. We are proud of our achievements across this nation. We do respect the feelings and the tradition of other people. Surely, we will never sit idle while anyone attacks the collective interest of the Yoruba race.”
The group insisted that Wike must apologise for “his indecent statement.”
It argued that with the failure to give the PDP National Chairman’s position to a Yoruba man, the opposition party had “slowly dwindled into a regional party with Wike swaggering like an overlord.”
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