Ayu must step down or no deal, Wike tells Atiku

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has insisted that the only condition for his group to support the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar is for the National Chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu relinquish his position for the South.

Wike spoke when his political associates and Rivers elders led by the Chairman, Rivers Elders Council (REC), Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, visited to felicitate with him on his birthday on Tuesday.

The governor in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said he had no personal problem with Atiku.

But he said for peace to return to the party, the chairmanship position must be given to the South before the 2023 election.

He stated, “I have no problem with presidential candidate. All I am saying is what is the interest of Rivers people? What is the interest of the Southsouth and the South?”

Wike recalled that about a year ago, Rivers elders urged him to contest for the presidency, which he heeded.

He said “I don’t regret I ran for presidency. In the name of God, I am happy to make Rivers State proud. I am happy as far I am concerned. If they had allow it to be what it is supposed to be, I would won the election. But it’s okay. It has happened.

“People said because I lost election, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t lose election. This is my first time of trying to run for the president of Nigeria and we made impact. If it is easy let them go ahead. Are they not the ones begging.”

The governor said some of his Ikwerre brothers like Sir Celestine Omehia and former Deputy Speaker Austin Opara, were begrudging him because of his insistence that it would be morally offensive for an Ikwerre man to succeed him or even emerge as PDP candidate for Rivers East senatorial district.

He said, “I called Austin (Opara) , he sat here and I said look my brother leave it, it will not work. I don’t want to cause crisis in our system. Amaechi finished eight years as governor, I’m going to finish eight years as governor too.

“It will be difficult to sell another Ikwerre person as Governor for another eight years. Omehia said he wants to go to the Senate, I said leave it. Ikwerre has gone, Ogu has gone, leave Etche to go.

“You people said I should go (to Senate), I said I won’t. Allwell ( Onyesoh) could not have stopped me. Yes, today we are majority, you don’t know what tomorrow will be. I never did anything to undermine anybody. We must understand that.”

Wike said as baseless allegation that he foisted the Rivers PDP governorship candidate, Sir Siminalaye Fubara, on the party.

He said the emergence of Fubara was a collective decision reached after those, who had indicated interest to succeed him failed to reach a consensus to produce one candidate.