Atiku advices Wike to stay off alcohol saying that his whisky intake is affecting his judgement

FORMER vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has advised Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to stay off alcohol as it has not only affected his voice and demeanour but is also limiting his thinking capacity.

Since last year, Governor Wike and Alhaji Abubakar have been at loggerheads with each other when the presidential primaries of their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pitted them against each other. In late June at its annual convention, the PDP, elected Alhaji Abubakar as its flagbearer for next year's presidential election.

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, leading him and four of his PDP colleagues to form the G5 Governors Forum, which refused to back Alhaji Abubakar.

Since the elections, the spat between the two men has not abated, however, with Governor Wike recently ridiculing a recent demonstration Alhaji Abubakar led in Abuja, protesting the outcome of the presidential elections. Governor Wike that he was sipping a 40-year-old bottle of whisky while watching the protest on national television

Responding to the comment, Alhaji Abubakar cautioned Governor Wike to stay off alcohol, as it had not only affected his voice and demeanour but also his thinking faculty. He claimed the governor’s grouse with him had nothing to do with southern presidency but a manifestation of his bitter loss.

Dismissing the vituperations and wailings of the Rivers State governor, Alhaji Abubakar commended moves to secure visa ban against Governor Wike in the US and UK. He said Governor Wike was just a sore loser, who had gone on to deceive other members of his G-5, who were now battling for political survival.

Phrank Shaibu, Alhaji Abubakar's spokesman, said: “Governor Wike has confirmed what we all know, that he is a drunkard. The protest that was led by Waziri Atiku Abubakar on Monday, March 6, 2023, was against the stealing of the mandate of the Nigerian people, which in itself was a noble cause.

“For the sake of clarity, the protest occurred around 11.30 am.  Wike says he was drinking whisky during the protest at 11.30am on a Monday, which reveals the sort of man he is.

“Wike’s grouse with Waziri Atiku Abubakar has nothing to do with zoning. He is only wailing because he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP in a fair contest. After losing, he deceived four other governors to join his futile campaign.

“Three governors of the G5 failed woefully at their senatorial elections, including Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who, as a sitting governor, who came a distant third in the Abia South Senatorial District. For Governor Seyi Makinde, his ambition is hanging by a thread after his misadventure cost the PDP to lose all three senatorial elections.

“Wike has not held a single meeting with his G-5 members, having dumped them since their defeat. He has been rejoicing over the outcome of the polls even though his men have all lost. This is the sort of man he is, and yet, he claims not to be committing anti-party infractions.”

In addition, Alhaji Abubakar lambasted Governor Wike for admitting on video to have manipulated the outcome of the polls in his state in the last election. He commended the nearly 300,000 Nigerians, who have signed a petition on Change.Org to demand that the US, UK and the European Union impose a visa ban on Governor Wike.

Alhaji Abubakar added: “At this point, I would love to commend the nearly 300,000 Nigerians, who have signed the petition for Wike’s visa sanction. This is a step in the right direction.

"This is a man, who in every election he has ever been involved in has been characterised by rigging and violence so much so that under his watch, the media tagged his state Rivers of Blood. This is a man, who talks down to traditional rulers in his state, arrests those he doesn’t agree with, seals off the buildings of his opponents, and even revokes Cs of O of those in his bad books,” Alhaji Abubakar added.