Wike Says Atiku Doesn’t Want Him To Campaign For Him In Rivers
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says he will not campaign for the presidential candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar because he has not shown that he wants his support.
Wike has been having a running battle with the national chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu over his role in the emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate of the party.
The Rivers governor accused Ayu of supporting Atiku to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate and asked him to resign from office.
Wike lost to Atiku in the presidential primary election of the party in May.
According to Wike and some party chieftains loyal to him, it is not fair for the party to have northerners as the presidential candidate (Atiku) and its national chairman (Ayu). They said Ayu’s resignation will pave the way for a southerner to emerge as his replacement, and create a balance.
However, Ayu has refused to resign from office.
Wike who spoke on Monday while inaugurating the PDP campaign in Rivers State for the 2023 elections in Port Harcourt, said he was not carried along in the selection of the members of the presidential campaign council, who hail from his state.
Responding to questions about why the pictures of Atiku and Ayu are not on the campaign vehicles to be used in the state ahead of the next general elections, Wike said he was not consulted by Atiku in the selection of the members of the presidential campaign council.
“The presidential candidate entered my state and picked members of the presidential campaign council without the governor of the state having a contribution. So, they said they don’t need me to campaign for them, that they don’t want Rivers people to campaign for them. Would you force yourself?” Wike asked.
The governor added that “if somebody said he doesn’t want you, would you go and push yourself”.
Wike continued, “You sit down and do your own and that’s the end of it. I have never seen how somebody will come to a state like Rivers State and go and pick those who are enemies of the state without our contribution. That’s what they did. Who is our nominee in the campaign council they have? Do we have anyone?
“They don’t want us to campaign for them. The governorship, senatorial candidates told us to campaign for them. So, we are here to campaign for them. If they want us to campaign for them, they will come and tell us.”
Wike, however, noted that he can change his mind and still campaign for Atiku if seeks his support in the electioneering.
He added, “If they think we are important, they will come and meet us and say ‘I’m running for election, can you come and support us?’ But nobody has come to tell us.”
