Gov. Wike and his camp pulls out of Atiku’s campaign
Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor and his camp have pulled out of the campaign council of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate.
Rising from their stormy meeting in Port Harcourt early morning on Wednesday, members of the team vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities pending the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
Members of the group said none of them will participate in whatever capacity in the campaign council unless the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, resigns for a southern candidate.
Some members of the group were recently appointed as leaders and members of the campaign council for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Present at this defining gathering at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; former Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, Donald Duke of Cross River, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe and Jonah Jang of Plateau, former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.
Others at the meeting are elder statesmen, Olabode George, Jerry Gana; South-South Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Suleiman Nazif, Nnenna Ukeje, among several others.
After over seven hours of private meeting from 7pm on Tuesday, September 20 to past 2am on Wednesday September 21, they gather to briefing journalists on the outcome, with George stating the shocker.
The decision of the Rivers governor’s camp comes some days to September 28, the official date for candidates to kick-off campaign as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.