Again, Wike Attacks Atiku, Says Party Will Purge

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has again attacked Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for his continuous support for the under fire National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, warning that a time will come for them to purge for keeping key party positions in the north.

Wike was insinuating that the party would be defeated in the coming presidential election in February 2023, for alienating the south in the scheme of things.

He also warned that the perceived poor performance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is not a guarantee of victory for the PDP, which has been enmeshed in crisis since May.

Apart from the presidential candidate and the National Chairman of the party being from the North, the Chairman Board of Trustees is also from the North.

This has angered Wike and some serving governors of the party from the south since their camp failed to clinch the running mate position of the party in June.

Wike also lost the presidential ticket to Atiku in May by coming second.

As an irreducible minimum, the Wike camp has said Ayu must go to allow someone from the South West to emerge as the National Chairman while the Director General of the party’s Campaign Council can come from the South East.

Atiku has stuck with Ayu and promised to get back to Wike in two weeks which ends in few days.

While the Board of Trustees and National Caucus of the party are currently meeting, Wike delivered another warning shot to the former Vice President, of dire consequences should they become over confident.

Speaking while overseeing the inauguration of Emohua Campus of Rivers State University, and the flag-off of staff quarters, performed by Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, he boasted that no one can cage him.

He said he cannot be stopped from speaking truth to power, warning the time of reckoning is coming for those who continue to insist that they can take everything to themselves in the PDP.

While promising that such greedy people will account for it all, he added, “That is why I am telling the people there, look, it cannot work. You can’t take everything. If you take everything, it will purge you. So, better do the right thing now.

“Don’t sit there and think that you can muscle me and you can do everything, you can manipulate anything.

“You can think you have the numbers to make sure you take everything, but the time is coming when you will account for it.”

On the perceived failures of the party and chances of the PDP in 2023, Wike said, “If any PDP State is not doing well, don’t think you will be voted for because APC is not doing well.

“If a PDP State, for example , if in Rivers State we didn’t do well, then you’ll say because APC did not do well at the national, then the people will vote for us?

“They’ll tell you PDP you didn’t do well in Rivers State. People don’t understand that. And that is why the party should respect us and know that we are the ones campaigning for the party because we have what to use to campaign.”

He pointed out that his administration did not follow the usual pattern of others because he decided to conceptualise all his projects before commencement.

He added that when projects embarked upon by his administration are conceptualised, his administration provides adequate budget for completion which is why all projects awarded during his administration will be completed.