The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, cannot be trusted because he cannot honour a simple agreement.
He made this known during a media chat today in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
According to Wike, after the PDP presidential primary election, Atiku told him that the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, must be removed because that will be against the party’s zoning arrangement.
Wike quoted Atiku as saying: “Ayu must go because the presidential candidate and the National Chairman cannot come from the same region.”
The governor also said Atiku tried to appease him by offering the Vice Presidential slot to him. He said Atiku wrote to the PDP secretariat requesting that a committee be set up to recommend a running mate.
He said Atiku’s preference was a serving governor from the South-South. Three governors – Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), and himself – were the only second term governors from the region.
According to Wike, the committee set up recommended him as the most preferred choice for the party but Atiku went ahead to pick Okowa.
Acoording to him, Atiku is taking advice from “people who have no value to add.”
He described the inability of Atiku to stick to the party’s zoning arrangement as unfortunate. “Nobody forced Ayu to say he will resign if a Northerner emerges as presidential candidate. Was he forced at gunpoint?”