RIVERS State Governor Nyesom Wike has accused Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of telling lies against him.
He also described some of the party’s chieftains as Atiku’s ‘attack dogs’, adding that he would respond in due time.
Wilke’s face-off with Atiku began when the later emerged flagbearer of the PDP for the 2023 presidential election.
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Atiku defeated Wike in the primaries and a PDP committee reportedly nominated Wike as the presidential candidate’s running mate, but Atiku settled for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
In an interview with ARISE TV, Atiku said he did not pick Wike as his running mate because he wanted someone he could work with “amicably”.
“Governor Wike was not rejected. Nobody was rejected in the party. But you must understand that it’s the prerogative of the candidate to pick his running mate — a running mate he believes he can work with amicably, and then also deliver the policies of the party, and also try to unify the country.
“Governor Wike is a brilliant politician. He’s courageous, tenacious. I believe he has a future in the political evolution of this country. It’s not a question of rejection. Certainly, not. I think it’s too harsh a word to say that we rejected governor Wike,” Atiku said.
In a response to Atiku’s interview, Wike tweeted that Nigerians would know the truth about recent events in the party when he finally speaks.
Speaking with reporters on his return from Spain on Friday, Wike accused Atiku of lying against him.
Wike’s statement on Friday was his first public comments on the crisis that trailed Atiku’s refusal to select him as his running mate.
“I have decided to be quiet because PDP is a party I love so much. I have moved on to conclude my social contract with the people of Rivers. However, it is time to let Nigerians know the truth.
“I am not a slave and will not be a slave. I am freeborn of the country,” he said.
Wike also faulted Atiku’s speech on the day he unveiled Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
He accused the former vice president of telling lies against him, as well as using some chieftains of the main opposition party to spread falsehood against his person.
The governor vowed to respond to Atiku and his ‘attack dogs’ one-by-one and line by line.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.