Atiku Told Jonathan To Relinquish 2015 PDP Ticket, Rejected All Pleas For Support – Wike Alleges

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, pleaded with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, to support his re-election bid in 2015 but that he refused.

Instead, Atiku, who was in London, UK, insisted Jonathan must relinquish the presidential ticket he had won and step down from the race.

He added that all entreaties from Jonathan and those close to him failed as Atiku stuck to his gun and made sure Jonathan was defeated.

The Governor stated this when his counterpart from Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, visited the state to commission the Akpabu-Itu-Umudiogha road in the Emohua Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

Umahi joined the presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso among others who have visited the State to commission projects executed by the state governor.

Speaking before his host on Tuesday, Wike deepened the crisis in the PDP by accusing Atiku of embarrassing the then President despite humbling himself to visit him in London in order to seek his support in the 2015 presidential election.

Atiku had led a group of governors including the then Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, out of the PDP. They became the New-PDP, which later joined the alliance that unseated the PDP from power.

Atiku had first left the PDP in 2006 to contest the 2007 election on the platform of the Action Congress before rejoining in 2009.

He again left the PDP in 2014 ahead of the 2015 election to the newly formed All Progressives Congress, APC, and then left again after his failure to clinch the presidential ticket.

He rejoined the PDP and went on to clinch the party’s 2019 presidential ticket in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after much horse trading and accusation of bribes to buy voters.

As Atiku continues to reject the Wike camp’s call for Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP National Chairman, to resign, Wike has continued to pillory him alongside the G-5 governors called Integrity Group.

The Governor who was defeated by Atiku during the PDP’s May presidential primary revealed that, “We forget history. In 2015 when Jonathan was a sitting President, I am not talking as a presidential candidate but as a sitting President, when he had won his primary, Jonathan went to London to Dorchester Hotel, he went to plead with Atiku Abubakar to come back to the party and support him.

“You know the condition he (Atiku) gave Jonathan? He should relinquish his ticket not to run as the President of Nigeria. That was the presidential candidate of a ruling party. He gave him a condition, telling him to relinquish that ticket.

“Today, we are not saying the presidential candidate should relinquish his ticket; we are not being selfish, we are saying since you are now the presidential candidate, let our people take chairmanship.”

The Atiku’s camp did not respond to THE WHISTLER when contacted for their reaction.