By Eze Chidozie
The Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the claims of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike that he did not work for the party but was rather interested in ensuring that a Southerner wins in the state.
Atiku described Wike as a whimper who is yet to come to terms reality of his defeat during the party’s National Convention in November.
In a statement on Sunday, Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Phrank Shaibu berated Wike for not identifying with the party’s protest to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but was rather enjoying a bottle of 40years blended whiskey at that early hours of the day.
Shaibu quoted Wike as saying, “As they were protesting, I just sat down and took a 40-year whisky. I called some of my friends and opened the 40-year-old whisky as they were protesting”.
He said that Wike’s vituperations has nothing to do with ensuring that the south produced the next president.
Shaibu described Wike as a sore loser who deceived other G5 governors and are now battling for political survival as they could nit secure their seat to the National Assembly.
“Wike’s grouse with Waziri Atiku Abubakar has nothing to do with zoning. He is only wailing because he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP in a fair contest. After losing, he deceived four other governors to join his futile campaign.
“Three governors of the G5 failed woefully at their senatorial elections, including Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who, as a sitting governor, came a distant third in the Abia South senatorial election. For Governor Seyi Makinde, his ambition is hanging by a thread after his misadventure cost the PDP to lose all three senatorial elections.
“Wike has not held a single meeting with his G5 members having dumped them since their defeat. He has been rejoicing over the outcome of the polls even though his men have all lost. This is the sort of man he is, and yet he claims not to be committing anti-party infractions.”
Shaibu also lambasted Wike for admitting on video to have manipulated the outcome of the elections in his state in the last election.
He commended the nearly 300,000 Nigerians that had signed a petition on Change.Org to demand that the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union impose a visa ban on him.
Atiku’s aide added, “At this point, I would love to commend the nearly 300,000 Nigerians who have signed the petition for Wike’s visa sanction. This is a step in the right direction. This is a man who in every election he has ever been involved in has been characterised by rigging and violence so much so that under his watch, the media tagged his state, ‘Rivers of Blood’.
“This is a man who, during a leaked phone conversation with Governor Ayodele Fayose, admitted to ‘killing everyone we can kill’. This is a man who talks down on traditional rulers in his state, arrests those he doesn’t agree with, seals off the buildings of his opponents and even revokes C of O of those in his bad books. May Nigeria never see such an emperor again who uses violence to subdue his people for political gains.”
