Wike vows to chase Atiku and Ayu out of PDP because they have become liabilities

GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has promised to chase former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the national chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for being liabilities.

 

On Saturday February 25, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a new president and Inec has subsequently declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC the winner. Among the main gladiators in the contest were Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, ex-Anambra State governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

 

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) chairman who served as the returning officer for the election, declared Asiwaju Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726  votes, defeating Alhaji Abubakar of the PDP, who came second with 6,984,520 votes. However, the PDP and Labour Party have refused to accept the results, taking to the courts to challenge the APCs victory.

 

In late June, the PDP elected  former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its flagbearer for next year's presidential election at its Abuja convention. Governor Wike of 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 and his supporters, made up primarily of four other governors, went on the war path. Governors Wike, Seyi Makinde  (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) made up what was known as the G5 Group of Governors and boycotted Atiku's campaign.

 

Blaming the violation of the PDP zoning for the defeat of the party in the presidential polls, Governor Wike reiterated that PDP’s constitution in Section 7(3)(c) states that in pursuant to the principles of equity, justice, and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation of elective and appointive offices. He has now promised to drive Alhaji Abubakar, Senator Ayu and some other leaders of the party out of the PDP.

 

Governor Wike said: “These people left our party in 2014-2015, our party lost and they came back and our party has lost again. They have destroyed our party. We are going to chase them away from our party. They have no role to play for our party.”

 

He also slammed the leadership of the PDP for accusing the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of not following election guidelines when they allegedly refused to follow the party’s constitution. Governor Wike further mocked the PDP leaders for staging the protest against Inec describing the party leaders as students unions.

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