Against insinuations that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has resolved to back the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, loyalists of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have dismissed the possibility of Wike turning his back on his party.
However, the former vice president chose to keep his distance, insisting that only the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu could determine whether to stay on or not.
Sources privy to this development said that Wike would remain a member of PDP but would mobilise support for Tinubu in Rivers.
The governor had a few weeks ago said the PDP in Rivers would rally round all candidates for the House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship elections, adding that until the right thing was done, Atiku remained a loner in the oil-rich state.
Also, at the commissioning of the Rukpokwu-Igwuruta Link Road located in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state a fortnight ago, Wike caused panic in the camp of Atiku when he asked the mammoth crowd that came out to witness the event, some troubling questions.
But speaking on the development, the spokesman of the National Election Management Committee of the Presidential Campaign Council, Dino Melaye, ruled out Wike’s defection to any party even as he insisted that talks of reconciliation between the two camps were ongoing.
Speaking in the same vein, the Director of Strategic Communication of the PDP Campaign Council, Chief Dele Momodu, said he would respond whenever the governor made his position clear on the matter.
Atiku’s ally and Director General, Borno House-to-House for Atiku/Okowa campaign organisation, Mustapha Shehu, said the PCC had since moved on, adding that the Rivers State governor was not “as important as he thinks he is.”
However, a close associate of Governor Samuel Ortom who did not want to be named told our correspondent that the possibility of Wike working with Tinubu should not be ruled out.
He said, “Governor Wike is passionate about the presidency moving to the South in 2023. If you have ever been in a meeting where he made this argument, you will understand this. It is difficult to convince him that there is an alternative to a southern presidency. He supported the North in 2019 by openly backing the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal. He expected the favour to be returned to the South this time but that did not happen.
“It is a shame that Ayu, who should have quietly resigned to assuage the fears of these leaders, is sitting tight. Maybe Wike has chosen to demonstrate to everyone that he means business. If Ayu is staying on and Atiku is not ready to do anything about it, I think Wike will support Tinubu. One thing is certain, he will not leave the PDP.”
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
