Wike De-markets Atiku, Tells Nigerians The PDP Presidential Candidate Is Untrustworthy

By Adesina Soyooye

In utterances that suggest that the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, may likely lose Rivers State in the 2023 Presidential election, the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has embarked on a de-marketing of the Party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Wike, in a Press Conference  he addressed Friday which was carried live on Channels Television, said Atiku is not trustworthy. He said Nigerians could not trust him. And that Atiku is not a man of his words.

Proof: Wike cited three examples. The first he said was 24 hours after the Convention, Atiku came to him and told him that Ayu must go. He said he never prompted Atiku to say so, but that Atiku, on his own did. It never happened.

Next, Wike said, Atiku offered him the position of his running mate. He did so on his own, Wike said. Again, Atiku reneged. Instead, even when Wike was the first choice of the Committee set up to screen candidates for the office of the Vice President, Atiku bypassed him, and chose Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

The third and final one, Wike said was at their London meeting. The Governor said that at the meeting Atiku promised that Ayu would go within one week, citing the injustice in both the candidate and the National Chairman coming from the same zone. Again, he said, Atiku reneged.

When Atiku came back, he said Ayu would go when he, Atiku, wins the Presidential election. And,  Ayu proclaimed he has a four-year tenure.

It is not known if Wike (Rivers State) would vote PDP in the Presidential election, but Wike has promised to deliver every other PDP candidate. When asked about Atiku, he said: Nobody should put words into his mouth. And when asked what steps he and his Camp would take if Ayu does not step down, he retorted: “When we get to that bridge, we’ll cross it.”