Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Thursday tackled the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for criticising the “lopsided appointments” of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Wike who spoke in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital when he hosted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi at the venue of the Nkpolu-Oroworokwo Flyover inauguration, criticised Atiku for not challenging Buhari before now, despite knowing how unfair the president had favoured the people from his region with several appointments.
Recall that the PDP presidential flag bearer, Atiku had on Wednesday said his government would run on national unity if elected as president in 2023.
Atiku had criticized the fact that 17 heads of security agencies were northerners.
He had promised to unify Nigeria by ensuring equity and fairness as well as reflect the federal character system in appointments to government offices.
But Wike said, “Some people now are criticising Buhari for appointing all the service chiefs from the north. Why did they not challenge Buhari since? Election has come. Who is fooling who? All these past seven years, you have not challenged Buhari but election has come. Nobody can fool anybody.
Wike, therefore, advised Atiku to start his government of national unity within the PDP by ensuring that Iyorchia Ayu step down as PDP national chairman.
“Some people said they will form a government of national unity. It is not to talk but start now to implement it. If you cannot implement the small one, is it the big one (you will implement?)
“I pity poor Nigerians. When I heard people go to townhall meetings and said all kinds of things: they said they will implement restructuring, they will make sure that every zone will have a member in the security council, that it is not good for one zone to produce all the security chiefs but it is good for one zone to occupy all party positions. You see how Nigerians are,” the governor stated.
