“Don’t Blame Tambuwal; My Brothers Betrayed Me; History Will Judge Them” – Wike

By Adesina Soyooye

In his first reaction to his loss of the Presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has exonerated the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, from his loss.

He put the blame on Southern Political leaders, especially those from the South-south who betrayed him. “Some Governors from the South were used to sabotage our victory. I have left them to God.”

Wike spoke when he addressed Rivers State Party Stakeholders on Monday. He spoke of the betrayal he suffered in the hands of those he called his brothers.

Wike said he entered the race on the basis of the agreement they reached that   the Presidential seat rotates to the South. He said he thought the agreement was reached with human beings, but he noted: “Some people are no human beings,”

Wike: “As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to worry about. I contested that election based on the agreement with all the Southern Governors and the leaders of the South that the Presidency should go to the South.”

Sadly, Wike said, it is a shame that some people from the South were used to sabotage his victory, the victory of the South. “It is a shame.”

Wike: “We have done our own part. We never betrayed anybody because it is not in our blood to betray. But it is a shame to those people, some Governors from the South who are the people they used to sabotage our victory. But, however, we have shown them that we are not like them.

“There are people you think are human beings, but they are not.”

The Governor was proud of his performance in the face of the sabotage he suffered. Indeed, he was not humiliated. He placed a respectable second place by scoring 237 votes to Atiku’s 371. The third person, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, trailed Wike with a score of 70 votes.

Wike: “We have made history, and for those betrayers, history will judge them. But as I have said earlier, I won’t abandon the party.

“They underrated us but that has changed. We made them not to sleep and eat.

“This country does not belong to any particular zone, it belongs everybody.”

Recall that just before voting  started on Saturday, Tambuwal stepped down from the contest, and directed his supporters to vote Atiku. That changed the course of the race, and tilted the victory comfortably towards Atiku.

The magazine gathered that South- south states, with the exception of Rivers State  which voted Wike, and Akwa Ibom which voted the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, others voted Atiku. Emmanuel’s 20 votes were a waste, many pointed out.