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.

By Gideon Njoku

Less than 24 hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defeated his closest rival, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, to pick the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential ticket, pepper has been robbed on Wike’s very fresh and painful  wound.

Robbing the pepper was no less a person than the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, the man who should have ameliorated his pain.

In what many people see   as a tactless and undiplomatic comment, Ayu  hailed Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, as: “The hero of the Convention”

Ayu made this comment when he visited  Tambuwal at his lodge in Abuja after the Convention. With Ayu was his entourage which included among others, former two-time Governor of Jigawa State, who was also a Foreign Minister during the President Olusegun Obasanjo Government, Sule Lamido, and the former Governor of Imo State, who was also a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and a close ally of Tambuwal. Ihedioha was Tambuwal’s Deputy in the House.

The visit was, apparently, to thank Tambuwal for bailing Atiku out, and swinging victory his way during the Presidential Primaries which held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, in Abuja on May 28, 2022.

Tambuwal, like Atiku and Wike, was a Presidential aspirant. The race to pick the ticket was seen by most Nigerians as a two-way race between Atiku and Wike. They were the frontrunners, and, reportedly, the front-spenders. So, the race was tight. Seeing that it could swing either way, Tambuwal did the unexpected. Just before voting began, he stepped out, and announced that he had withdrawn from the race. He did not only withdraw, he said he stood down for Atiku, and  directed his supporters to vote Atiku.

He had not a few delegates, having campaigned hard, and tied down, at least, most  of the North-west delegates, plus most of Imo State’s.

That changed the course, and gave Atiku a comfortable lead.

When Tambuwal stepped down, Senator Dino Melaye, the one who has just lost his bid to go back to the Senate, after a four-year absence, ran out; hugged Tambuwal, and lifted him off the ground in appreciation.

At the count of the last vote, Atiku beat Wike by 371 votes to 237. There were 12 of them in the contest, including, two former Senate Presidents, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, South-east, and Dr Bukola Saraki, North Central.

On the thank you visit to Tambuwal, Ayu hugged him hard and tight. Thanking him profusely, he hailed him as “the hero of the Convention” for stepping down for Atiku.

Ayu: “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the hero of the Convention.”

Tambuwal’s stand, many say, is one of the ironies of life. In 2019 at the PDP Presidential Primaries in Porthacourt, Rivers State, Wike pulled all stops to back  Tambuwal. When Atiku won, an angry Wike had to be appeased. It strained his relationship with Atiku, which was patched up later.

While addressing the delegates just before the casting of votes on Saturday, Wike promised to support, fully, whoever won the election.

He left the venue before the last vote was counted. At the time of filing this report, he was yet to congratulate Atiku.