Atiku Visits Wike To Mend Fences; VP Offer Speculated Amidst Strong Opposition

By Gideon Njoku

As he did in 2019, victorious  Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Atiku’s visit comes on the heels of his victory over at the PDP Presidential Primary held in Abuja on Saturday May 28. Atiku beat Wike to a respectable second place- 371 to 237 votes.

In 2019, Atiku had, also, visited an angry Wike to appease him after he defeated Wike’s favourite, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal to pick the 2019 ticket.

Ironically, in 2022, it was Tambuwal who did Wike in when he tilted victory in favour of Wike.

Tambuwal, also, a strong Presidential aspirant, stepped down for Atiku, and ordered his supporters to vote Atiku. Before the last count of the votes, an upset Wike stormed out of the venue. And, even though Wike had pledged, just before voting started, that he would support, fully, anybody who picked the ticket, he was still to congratulate Atiku 48 hours after he lost.

Atiku’s visit to Wike, in the company of a number of his supporters and stakeholders, is to solicit for his support and understanding.

In the months leading to the Presidential Primary, Wike had vehemently opposed Atiku’s aspiration, insisting that the Presidency should rotate to the South. There are speculations that Wike did not mean he would support Atiku when he made  the pledge to support any eventual winner. “Anybody but Atiku”, a source told this medium.

However, an unconfirmed source told TheSource (Magazine), that a possible offer to Wike as Atiku’s running mate is on the cards. Having come second in the Primary with an appreciable number of votes, added to his war chest, many think he should be given the running mate ticket. But a source said it will not be that simple.

Not a few people are against the speculated move. They say Wike, given his temperament, will not be a suitable running mate.

Said a Party chieftain who pleaded anonymity: “Wike is not suitable.  He is brash and raw and arrogant and autocratic. It is for the same reason we were against his picking the Presidential ticket. That was why we put pressure on Tambuwal to step down for Atiku. It will be a divided Presidency if he runs with Atiku. They will quarrel.”

On a thank you visit to Tambuwal, National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, had hailed him as the “hero of the Convention”, for swaying victory to Atiku.

Before the Convention, Wike had consistently boasted that he was not running to be a Vice Presidential candidate.