- According to the APC chieftain, it was Wike who made the PDP to throw open its 2023 presidential primaries and not either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Governor Bala Mohammed
Contrary to popular narrative, it was Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Minister, that went against the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the 2023 general election and not former president Atiku Abubakar.
The aforementioned disclosure was made by a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.
Eze was reacting to claims by Wike that some northern political actors went against the PDP’s zoning formula.
Wike had alleged that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and others made the PDP zone her 2023 Presidential ticket to the North against the party’s policy on zoning.
The former Rivers governor, in a recent interview claimed that, “We have always done it North and South,” adding that “this unspoken agreement within the party was undermined.
Reacting to Wike’s claim, Eze said it was imperative that he cleared the air so that unsuspecting Nigerians won’t be railroaded into believing Wike’s outright lies.
According to the APC chieftain, it was Wike who made the PDP to throw open its 2023 presidential primaries and not either former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Governor Bala Mohammed, noting that Wike waz just being economical with the truth.
“In making this beguiling statement, it skipped Wike’s memory that Nigerians of sane mind will ask him questions on how the ‘gentleman agreement’ of the PDP in respect of it’s zoning policy was undermined,” he added in a statement on Monday.
“Wike deliberately refused to mention in the interview that it was his dictatorial tendencies backed by his inordinate ambition to pick the PDP Presidential ticket, that led to the collapse of the party’s policy on zoning in 2022.
“It is sad and unfortunate that some people who are saying that Wike was right on PDP zoning have refused to know the truth because they are heavily benefitting from the former Rivers State Governor’s financial inducements.
“It is instructive to state categorically that Atiku Abubakar didn’t kick against zoning the PDP Presidential ticket to the South. What the former Vice President proposed at the PDP meeting was that if the party’s presidency should be zoned to the South, it must be to the South-East.
“With Peter Obi still in the PDP, and following Atiku’s statement that he already had his choice of who to support in the South-East, Wike became jittery and started abusing Obi.
“Blindfolded by his overweening disposition, and the fact that he wanted to contest the PDP Presidential primary, Wike positioned his hangers on, who later formed the so-called G-5 to influence the PDP Presidential slot to him.
“Acting on Wike’s satanic script, the G-5 governors and their loyalists kicked against Atiku’s proposal of zoning the Presidency to the South-East, and instead voted that it should be thrown open. This was what took place and when it was thrown open, anyone at that point could contest.
“In preparing himself for the elusive 2023 PDP Presidential slot, Wike, like a dog let loose out of its cage, went on rampage, abusing Atiku, and others, boasting in the Church that the slot is just for him and nobody born by a human being can wrestle it from him after forcing Peter Obi out of PDP.
“It is on record that Peter Obi didn’t even let Atiku know of his intention to leave the PDP until he jumped ship to the Labour Party.
“Even on the venue of the PDP Presidential primary, Wike was very much convinced that he would defeat Atiku hands down, but that was the thinking of a neophyte and greenhorn when it comes to party and national politics.
“Till date, Wike is yet to recover from the political upper-cut and psychological trauma as a result of his decision to jump into the ring to engage his father (Atiku) in a bout, not knowing the stuff that Atiku is made of.
“After losing the PDP Presidential primary woefully to Atiku, in a contest he called for, and having lost out in his bid to become the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Wike went ahead with his misguided and lilly-livered G-5 Group to ensure that PDP lost the 2023 election. The rest is now history.”