Wike accuses Rivers State PDP elders of ganging up against him to ensure he was not picked

GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike's ongoing spat with his own Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be intensifying after he recently angrily declared that certain delegates from Rivers State ganged up against him at the recent national convention in Abuja.

In late June, the PDP elected former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its flagbearer for next year's presidential election at its annual convention. Governor Wike was a candidate in that election but he was beaten into second place and to make matters worse for him, he was not then picked as the party's running mate.

With Alhaji Abubakar opting to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate, Governor Wike has been on the war path and there are now fears that he will dump the PDP. Among other things, he has been fraternizing with members of the ruling All Progressives Congress lately, amid talk of him possibly decamping.

Lashing out at some of his party members further, Governor Wike has revealed how some Rivers State elders ganged up against him because they did not win the primaries to become gubernatorial candidates. Governor Wike explained that some of them, who indicated an interest in the position but failed, went to mobilise in Abuja to make sure that he did not emerge as the running mate of Alhaji Abubakar.

Governor Wike said: “On my last birthday, 12 midnight, one of our elders called me saying that they want to see me. They came to me and said they came to wish me a happy birthday.

“Then, they presented me with a letter that I should run for president. All of them, including Dr Abiye, signed the document. I said okay, you people too should go and give me someone who will be governor after me. They all sat there, looking left and right.

“I asked them, those of you who are interested to be governor should raise your hands. Everybody raised their hand. One person didn’t raise his hand, Senator Bari Mpigi. I asked why he was not interested, he replied, sir, let me hold what God has given me. I don’t want to lose the two.”

“Some people don’t know the history. They go and tell all kinds of stories but the truth is this, all of them signed the document prepared by OCJ Okocha that whoever I will bring, they’ll abide by it.

“But now, they went to Abuja, that I must not be vice president. I also read yesterday when I was in Paris, one of them saying that I told him that if they do to me what they did to Dr Odili, that I’ll collapse the system.

“I’m not an ungrateful person and I’ll never be ungrateful in my life. What is important is that I’ve done well as a governor. I’m happy and I am leaving the office a happy man.”