Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has expressed determination to work for the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections.

Mr Emmanuel, who was addressing journalists at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, on Friday after arriving from Abuja, thanked the PDP leadership for his appointment as chairman of Atiku Abubakar’s Campaign Council.

“Let me thank all our party members across the country for this confidence they have in me.

“I also want to say that no one person can do it alone. It involves everybody in all the units, all the wards and all chapters of our party to come together for the party to move forward,” he stated.

Governor Emmanuel was speaking for the first time after he was named the chairman of the campaign council of the PDP presidential candidate, according to a statement posted on Facebook by his media aide, Essien Ndueso.

“I want to use this platform to make an appeal that if we had made mistakes in the past, we cannot wind back the clock,” Mr Emmanuel said, apparently referring to the PDP crisis.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, backed by other governors, is demanding the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in the grounds that Mr Ayu, as well as the party’s presidential candidate, are from the north.

“We cannot recall what had passed yesterday. We can move forward in the spirit of oneness, unity, prosperity and progress for our party, I’ll really appreciate,” Governor Emmanuel said.

The Akwa Ibom governor was among the 12 other aspirants who were defeated by Atiku in the presidential primary of the party held in May in Abuja.

Of the 767 accredited delegates at the primary, Mr Atiku polled 371 votes, while his closest challenger, Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, came second with 237 votes.

Nigeria’s former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, scored 70 votes to come a distant third, while Governor Emmanuel came fourth with 38 votes.

The former president of the Nigeria’s Senate, Pius Anyim, scored 14 votes, while the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Muhammed, polled 20 votes. Twelves votes were declared invalid.