Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Friday named the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal and national chairman of the party, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, as those formenting trouble in PDP.
Wike also claimed that the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu, wooed him to run for senate after he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP.
Wike made the remarks during a sponsored live interview with journalists of the AIT, Channels TV, TVC and NTA in Port-Harcourt, where he spoke extensively on some of the behind-the-scene politics that played out during and after the PDP’s convention which saw the emergence of Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
He alleged that Tinubu accosted him amid the PDP crisis and wooed him to go for the senate, but he rejected the offer.
The Rivers state governor added that he refused to take decisions that will affect the overall interest of the PDP despite the internal crisis at the national level, which he claimed was fomented by Atiku, Tambuwal and Ayu.
He, however, insisted that Ayu must step down and give room to equity and fairness in the party, stressing that it was not the first time such exigency turned up in the party.
Asked if his actions after the primaries were not traits of a bad loser, he replied, “I never collected senatorial form, other candidates did and that is how you know those who are serious and those who are desperate and unserious”.
He said he didn’t contest for the senate because he didn’t want to violate the Electoral Act.
He added: “You heard what Jang said, he described Ayu as a referee who helped one of the sides to score a goal and then blew a whistle that a goal had been scored.
“There’s nothing Ayu did 8n my favour for me not to emerge as the PDP candidate. Rather, Ayu did everything to manipulate the system to ensure that all the numbers did not add up”.