Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike on Thursday said he has no problem with the candidature of Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party but the continuation of Iyorchia Ayu as the National Chairman.
Wike, while hosting Governorship candidate of the PDP and other candidates of the party for next year’s election, said he has not asked that Atiku or the vice presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa be dropped.
A statement released by his media aide, Kelvin Ebri, said Wike told the contestants that the reasons why everyone is begging him are unknown to him.
He was quoted as saying : “We have finished presidential primaries, we have a presidential candidate. Is Wike saying remove presidential candidate? Is Wike saying remove vice and presidential candidate? So, what are you begging me for? All I am saying, and I will continue to say is that you have taken president, give us (national) chairman.”
Wike accused the leadership of failure to speak the truth.
Nobody wants to speak the truth. If I am saying remove the presidential candidate, if I am saying remove the vice-presidential candidate, then you will say why is he doing this.
“I’ve accepted the presidential candidate, I have accepted the vice-presidential candidate, what’s the problem again. You, fulfil your part. Let the South have something, that is all I’m preaching. You cannot have a presidential candidate, national chairman, director general of the campaign.”