Wike Pays Atiku In Kind, Gives Him The Jonathan Treatment; Reminds Nigerians How Atiku Treated Jonathan In 2015

By Adesina Soyooye

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, reminded Nigerians how shabbily the Presidential candidate of his Party, the Peoples Democratic Candidate, Atiku Abubakar treated a sitting President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Wike reminded Nigerians of the humiliation Atiku put Jonathan through at the Dorchester Hotel, London.

In an emotional speech which confirmed, almost, that Wike is paying Atiku in same coin the Presidential candidate used to pay Jonathan, Wike said Nigerians forget history easily.

The Governor spoke at the commissioning of the Akpabu-Itu-Umudiogha road in the Emohua Local Government Area of the State by the Governor of Ebonyi State who he invited to commission it.

He narrated that in 2015, Jonathan, a sitting President, had secured the ticket for a second term. Before then, Atiku and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, had led a revolution, with some other Governors, including Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, against Jonathan. Led by the two men and formerSenate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, they walked out on Jonathan at a PDP meeting. They were six PDP Governors, all in all, plus Atiku and others. They formed what they called the New PDP – NPDP.

When Jonathan eventually secured the ticket of his Party to run for a second term in office, he went to the Dorchester Hotel, London to see Atiku, and to appeal to him to support him in the Presidential race.

But disclosed Wike, Atiku not only refused, he asked Jonathan to relinquish his ticket, obviously, to him, and not to run for the office.

Jonathan did not do that. So, Atiku and his NPDP members dumped PDP and defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. That move cost  Jonathan a second term, and the PDP the Presidency till date.

Wike: “In 2015, when Jonathan, as a sitting President, Jonathan as a sitting President, I am not talking as a Presidential candidate, I’m saying as a sitting President, when he had won his Primaries, people forget history, Jonathan went to London, in Dorchester Hotel, he went to plead with this our Presidential Candidate today, Atiku Abubakar. He said my brother, come back to the Party, and support me.

“You know the condition he gave to Jonathan? That he should relinquish his ticket, not to run  as the President of Nigeria. That was a sitting President, and a Presidential candidate of  the ruling Party. They gave him condition, telling him to relinquish that ticket for him not to run.

“So, when I see some people, running around, talking rubbish, they forget history.

“Today, we are not saying the Presidential candidate should relinquish his ticket. We are not being selfish.

“We are only saying since you are now the Presidential candidate, let our people take Chairmanship and they say they will kill me. Is it possible?

“When you see some rent seekers from here going around saying they will give me Minister of Finance, they will give me Governor of Central Bank, you haven’t killed an animal, and you are saying women don’t eat it. Kill the animal first to know whether women will eat or not.

“I don’t want that kind of promise. Give my people this one we are talking now. Give us the Chairman so that things can move freely. They come and tell you stories.”

The Governors with Wike are: Samuel Ortom, Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu and Seyi Makinde, Oyo. Along with a number of stakeholders who include a couple of former Governors, they now call themselves, the Integrity Group.