Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, says Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lied in a recent interview he granted Arise Television.
In the interview, Atiku said he did not pick Wike as his running mate because he wanted someone he could work with “amicably”.
“Governor Wike was not rejected. Nobody was rejected in the party. But you must understand that it’s the prerogative of the candidate to pick his running mate — a running mate he believes he can work with amicably, and then also deliver the policies of the party, and also try to unify the country,” the PDP candidate said.
“Governor Wike is a brilliant politician. He’s courageous, tenacious. I believe he has a future in the political evolution of this country. It’s not a question of rejection.
“Certainly, not. I think it’s too harsh a word to say that we rejected governor Wike.”
Afterwards, Wike said he would speak about Atiku soon, and that Nigerians need to know the truth about the party.
On Friday, speaking at the international airport in Port Harcourt, Rivers capital, Wike said the PDP presidential candidate lied about how he picked Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta governor, as his running mate.
“He [Atiku] appeared before Arise Television, see the statements he made. So many lies were told,” the Rivers governor said.
TheCable understands that he will be meeting with his team at the weekend to decide “on the way forward”.
