Trouble for Atiku as Wike's Strong Ally Finally Reveals Presidential Candidate Rivers PDP Will Vote For
- The Rivers state chapter of the PDP has allegedly decided to vote dump the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar
- Hon. Samuel Nwanosike, the chairman of the Ikwerre local government area, made this known ahead of the 2023 general election
- Nwanosike who is a strong ally of Governor Nyesom Wike said the PDP in Rivers state has settled for the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu
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Rivers state - Hon. Samuel Nwanosike, the chairman of Ikwerre local government area, has said the Rivers state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made up its mind to dump the party's presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar.
According to Daily Sun, Nwanosike who is a strong ally of the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, said the Rivers PDP has pitched its tent with the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Source: Getty Images
Rivers PDP elders have decided to dump Atiku, says Nwanosike
Daily Sun quoted Nwanosike as saying that the elders and opinion leaders in Rivers state have decided to dump Atiku and work for Tinubu.
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The PDP chieftain said the decision was taken because of what he described as “unfairness and political imbalance” he claimed Atiku was propagating.
He said the PDP national leadership has been taken over by men who specialised in manipulating the process to achieve their personal interests.
According to him, it was clearly stated that when the PDP presidential candidate emerges from the North, the national chairman of the party should come from the South and vice versa.
PDP crisis and the G5 Governors
The PDP is heading into the 2023 general elections with a divided house as five of its governors, now known as the G5, have withdrawn their support for Atiku.
The aggrieved PDP governors led by Wike demanded Iyorchi Ayu's resignation as the national chairman for a southerner to take over but their demand was turned down.
Following their decision not to back Atiku until their demand is met, there have been speculations that the G5 Governors will back Tinubu or the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Atiku is not a unifying factor, says Nwanosike
Daily Sun reported that Nwanosike said the Rivers state has settled for Tinubu.
He accused of Atiku of insisting that Ayu remains the party’s national chairman.
“With this unfortunate development, it is clear that Atiku is not the true unifying factor we thought he is.
“We want to say clearly here that we stand by our leader Nyesom Wike on this issue,” he said.
The council chairman also added that it is not possible for a Northerner in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari to govern Nigeria for eight years and hand over power to another Northerner, Atiku.
“We politicians cannot sit down and watch this happen. To halt the injustice, elders and opinion leaders of Rivers State after careful deliberation on the matter, zeroed in on Tinubu as the most suitable candidate.
“We have x-rayed the three frontrunners in the race, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, it is Tinubu we found to be the true unifying factor," he said.
No room for further reconciliation, says Nwanosike
Nwanosike said there is no room for another reconciliation even if Atiku makes the effort to change their mind.
He added that the people of the state met without Governor Wike and took the decision to move forward, adding that the governor is, however, being awaited to address the people.
Daily Sun stated that its investigations also showed that elders and opinion leaders who are Wike's loyalists in Rivers state have held several meetings and have strongly resolved to campaign vigorously for Tinubu.
Wike declares war on Ayu over suspension of G5 loyalists, reveals next move on PDP chairman
In a related development, Governor Wike declared war on the PDP national chairman, Ayu, over the recent suspension of some members of the party.
According to the governor, the suspension of the loyalists of the G5 governors would not help the PDP in the forthcoming polls.
"The battle line has been fully drawn", Wike told Ayu over the suspension of PDP chieftains/
Source: Legit.ng
