Wike seals off Atiku/Okowa campaign office in Port Harcourt escalating PDP crisis further

GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has escalated the ongoing spat between himself and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar by sealing off his campaign office in Port Harcourt.

 In late June, the PDP elected former vice president Alhaji 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 went on the war path and began fraternising with the ruling APC. Along with four other governors, Governor Wike has called for the immediate resignation of PDP chairman Senator Iyorese Ayu as a condition for them supporting Alhaji Abubakar's presidential campaign.

Known as the G5, these governors have held numerous meetings with the Atiku camp but they have been unable to reach a compromise. In a widening of the cracks, Governor Wike sealed off the Atiku/Okowa campaign office located in the Port Harcourt Government Reservation Area, after turning down a request by the campaign management committee in the state to use the residential building  for political purposes.

Atiku supporters in the state protested the government action as a violation of right of  free expression. Human rights activist, Shehu Sani, also branded the sealing of the campaign office as unfortunate and wrong.