Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, said entreaties made by former President Goodluck Jonathan to get the support of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who is also a former Vice President of Nigeria, for his re-election bid in 2015 were frustrated.
Wike stated this when Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State commissioned the Akpabu-Itu-Umudiogha road in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers.
According to him, Jonathan travelled to the Dorchester Hotel in London in 2015 to meet Atiku but rather, the Adamawa-born politician “embarrassed” Jonathan, a former Governor of Bayelsa state, and told him to relinquish his ticket to him.
Wike, said he is not asking Atiku to step down as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, but he should rather ensure the removal of Iyorchia Ayu as PDP National Chairman for a southern replacement.
His words, “We forget history. In 2015 when Jonathan as a sitting President, I am not talking as a presidential candidate but as a sitting President, when he had won his primary, Jonathan went to London to Dorchester Hotel, he went to plead with Atiku Abubakar to come back to the party and support him.
“You know the condition he (Atiku) gave Jonathan? He should relinquish his ticket not to run as the President of Nigeria. That was the presidential candidate of a ruling party. He gave him a condition, telling him to relinquish that ticket.
“Today, we are not saying the presidential candidate should relinquish his ticket; we are not being selfish, we are saying since you are now the presidential candidate, let our people take chairmanship.”
Recall that Jonathan, the PDP presidential candidate in 2015, had lost his re-election to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, had visited Jonathan at his Abuja residence on November 17 to resolve the crisis within the PDP but details of that meeting have been under wraps.
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