Atiku: Blame Wike for protracted PDP crisis, not me

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, says he has no blame in the crisis in the party.

Indeed, he said the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, heading the five aggrieved governors had allowed the crisis to fester.

Atiku spoke on Sunday at the ‘People’s Townhall’ series for presidential candidates and their running mates, organised by Channels Television.

The Wike-led group has repeatedly called for the Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down from his position as national chairman and presidential candidate of the party cannot come from the same zone, the North.

Speaking on Sunday, the PDP presidential candidate said he had met with Wike five times — within and outside the country — on the development.

“I have met Wike two times in Port Harcourt, two times in Abuja, one time in London — personally,” he said.Asked why things had been difficult to sort out, Abubakar said: “It’s not on my part. It’s on the other side. I’m waiting.”

Atiku’s comment came the same day Wike said in Port Harcourt that it was an insult to Nigerians for another northerner to be contesting the presidency since the current president is from the North.