Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar told lies during a recent interview he granted Arise TV.
Wike, who stated this on Friday, further said that Atiku was yet to begin a reconciliation move despite reports in the media that a committee had been set up to meet with him.
The Rivers State Governor spoke to journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
“He (Atiku) appeared on Arise Television, see the statement he made. So many lies were told and you said I should not react to some of those issues. That would not be fair,” he said.
Wike’s issue with the former vice president in particular and his PDP party got worse after Atiku picked Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,
as his running mate instead of Wike.
The PDP presidential candidate made the choice in disregard of the recommendation of a committee, chaired by Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, which was set to help recommend a running mate for Atiku.
However, speaking during an exclusive interview with Arise TV recently, Atiku said, “I didn’t reject Wike, I picked who can deliver. Wike is brilliant and tenacious. Going by history, I picked an Igbo as running mate in 2007, in 2019. I still picked an Igbo as running mate for 2023.”
“The committee that presented the three nominees was chaired by the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom. They recommended three people, so I picked one. People should be fair to me and state the facts,” he added.
After Atiku’s interview, Wike said, “I will speak soon and Nigerians will know the actual truth of all that has transpired in the PDP in recent times.”
Speaking this Friday to journalists, the Rivers State Governor said, “You can imagine, the presidential candidate of the PDP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, when he unveiled the vice presidential candidate, no right thinking lover of this party would say that the speech he made on that day was fair.
“Assuming today, I’m not alive, obviously what they have said would be accepted as the truth. Look at his (Atiku) attack dogs, Sule Lamido, Babaginda Aliyu, Maina Waziri. Look at the statements they issued. Look at the abuses they rained on me, but I never reacted.
“And Nigerians will ask, you mean these things happened? So, it is important that as a person and for my own future, and for those who rally around me to say, look, this is not fair. So, I will make sure that I will react to them, line by line, of the statements made by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar himself and his attack dogs.”
Speaking further Wike said, “Look at it, a presidential candidate who believes that he wants to win election, and somebody who contested fiercely with him that has never raised any issue. I just kept quiet, just minded my business, to see how my state can move forward.
“But every day, his people come up to attack me, to say one thing or the other. That’s quite unfair and so I should let Nigerians know at the appropriate time which will be after the commissioning of projects that we have lined up.
“We will say look this is not correct, so that posterity, history will be on our side – that we have been able to keep the record straight. So, nobody should be in doubt whether I am going to speak on the issue of PDP, issues of the primaries and other related matters.
“Nigerians will know what happen, Nigerians will know those who love this country, Nigerians will know what went behind. And that is to assure you, I am going to speak on that.”
