By James Orji
The just concluded PDP presidential primary has left anger and bitterness in the mind of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, the major loser in the shadow election which held last Saturday.
Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president emerged as the PDP presidential candidate in the keenly contested election with 371 votes to beat Governor Wike who polled 237 votes, and had since congratulated the party’s flagbearer for next year’s presidential election.
In spite of this, Governor Wike is still reeling from the pains that those he trusted such as Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, to deliver the PDP presidential ticket to him, betrayed him.
The Rivers’ helmsman has a reason to be angry with Tambuwal, a close ally he had supported in the past.
In 2019, Wike stood by Tambuwal against some vested interest in the PDP who preferred Atiku to be the party’s presidential candidate. Even though the Sokoto helmsman lost the ticket, Tambuwal put up a good fight with the tacit support of Wike.
But last Saturday when Wike expected the gesture to be returned, Tambuwal pulled the rug under his feet by supporting Atiku to clinch the party’s presidential ticket.
He withdrew from the race in the last minute to the surprise of many delegates and leaders of the party, and directed his supporters to cast their votes for Atiku.
“Haven’t consulted so many people across the country the time has come to make the sacrifice for the good of the country and the party and also to minimise rancour and justle for power among aspirants I have come to conclusion to step down the race. I urge my supporters to vote for Atiku Abubakar,” Tambuwal said to the chagrin of many Nigerians who have watched his antecedents with the Rivers’ Governor.
In his reaction on Monday, Governor Wike said Tambuwal violated the rule of engagement and does not deserve to be governor.
Wike said: “I’ve never seen how people can violate procedure, guideline. Somebody has spoken, it’s at that point he was speaking that he can say I’m withdrawing. You don’t call him back.”
“I just said, look, this our party must not be destroyed. I would have left where I was sitting down and say no, this convention can’t go on except you allow me to talk and I would have flatten that they say is a human being (Tambuwal), I would have flattened him.”
“When you see people, a sitting governor won election with 300 votes, which votes will he give? So it’s God’s will, let’s not bother ourselves so much”.
The Rivers’ governor had earlier took a swipe at state governors from the southern part of the country for not supporting him to clinch the party’s ticket.
He said the governors violated the agreement they all reached that power must shift to the south, after the end President Buhari’s tenure in 2023.
Meanwhile, close watchers of the opposition party insists that Governor Wike lost due to his failure to carry his counterparts along in his presidential aspiration.
The reason he lost, they say, is because of his arrogance and his inability to carry on well with other state governors, who have secretly brandished proud and rude.
