•Rivers gov claims ex-VP’s men working for his failure at the polls •Says politicians distracting electorate with same-faith ticket palaver •Ayu: ‘Wike is a strong party man’
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday fired a fresh barb at the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,saying some of the people around the former vice president could make him lose next year’s election.
Wike who has been locked in a cold war with Atiku since the presidential candidate picked Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, warned that he should not be blamed if the PDP lost the presidential contest.
He denied suing Atiku and the PDP over the party’s presidential primary, and he got an applause for that from the national chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
Ayu called him a strong party man.
Wike did not spare critics of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Is that our problem now?” he asked, quickly adding: “We need leadership to move this country forward.”
The governor spoke during the inauguration of the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters, an estate tastefully completed by his administration to provide befitting accommodation for the state lawmakers.
The project was inaugurated by House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Wike said:”People have said I went to court against Atiku Abubakar. I want to say categorically that if I had a reason to go to court I will go to court. But I didn’t go to court. I just have to say it for Nigerians to know.
“I have kept quiet and busy delivering the dividends of democracy for my party to win election; people are busy plotting how they will win election, but others are busy trying to see how they will lose election.
“If they lose the election nobody should call my name. I have told the candidate, you will lose this election and you will win this election because of people around you. Anybody who knows me knows that if I was going to court , I would have gone to court within two weeks after the primaries because it is a pre-election matter and after two weeks you can’t go to the court.
“The legal adviser of the party called me and I told him you know there is mischief going on; you know me very well if I am going to court it is not those kind of lawyers I would have used and I don’t even know the lawyers. I want to tell the candidate (Atiku) that it is his group that is doing all these things. Let the world hear.
“They are the ones plotting all these things thinking that they would spoil my name. You cannot. The other day they said I removed all PDP flags in Government House. We are supposed to be talking about how you will win election, not about these people. They are not doing him any favour, rather they are trying to make him not to win election.But if that is what they want, I wish them good luck.
“But after my commissioning of projects nobody should say Wike has started. When I start, I have been on my own, they are looking for my trouble. Allow peace to reign. If you say your mother will not sleep, you too you will not sleep at the appropriate time.”
Wike asked Atiku to direct people around him to return to their individual states and work for his victory at the polls.
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His words: “I am busy commissioning projects, tell those who are supporting you to also go and commission projects to win their states. This is my own campaign to make our candidates to win election.
“Leave me to do my work but you are worried, concocting things every day. Social media cannot make you to win election. Election is by the people. Tell those who are with you in Abuja to go home and campaign for you. Leave Wike alone.”
Wike told the audience of how he led a plot to deny Gbajabiamila the speakership of the House of Representatives and Ahmed Lawan the Presidency of the Senate.
He accused his fellow PDP governors and other leaders of betraying their collective position by going behind him to support Gbajabiamila.
But he acknowledged that despite his plot against Gbajabiamila,the Speaker has never denied Rivers State its dues adding that he (Gbajabiamila) even intervened to ensure that money owed the state by the Federal Government was paid to it.
Wike said: “Mr. Speaker, I didn’t invite you here because you are an APC member. I invited you because of the role you played for Rivers State to get their money and I said come and see what I have done with part of that money.
“I was one of the last states that the federal government refunded money. Nobody wanted to give me because they said I was fighting for PDP. But you helped me without demanding a dime from me.
“I was one of those who plotted that you should not be Speaker. I have no regrets because my business is not to help their party that time, even now. My business is to make you people uncomfortable.
“It was in Government Lodge Rivers State in Abuja where we plotted he should not go. PDP governors sold me out. They supported you even when we had agreed as a party that Femi should not go, Lawan should not go.
“They went back and supported you. That was why you made Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader even when we wrote you a letter against it. People don’t like the truth, but the truth must be told at all times. They were the people who sold PDP. The truth must be told at all time. Now they are saying we will impeach Buhari.
“You don’t have the balls. Ordinary to override the electoral law they couldn’t. They think they can use Nigerians up and down. Something you know you cannot do why did you say it out?
“I told you in my house before we came here that I plotted against you. If I see any other way to plot I will plot because we are in different parties and anything that will make you uncomfortable is my business. But you are a good man.
“You called me one day and demanded for a name for an appointment. I didn’t believe it. I gave you a name and the person was appointed. It is not about party.”
Wike said it was a similar betrayal attitude that made Atiku lose the 2019 presidential election.
He said: “In 2019 they all betrayed us. Buhari wouldn’t have won the 2019 election because you wouldn’t have had the spread. But all the states in the South South made Buhari to have 25 per cent. Rivers didn’t give Buhari 25 per cent. I challenge anybody.
“Today, people will be talking about PDP when we were supposed to have won the election in 2019, Rivers State gave the highest votes, the highest logistics. Let anybody come and contradict me. Today people are talking about PDP that they are loyal. They sold our party in the 2019 election.
“I told Atiku the other day, all these governors you think are good with you what happened in 2019? Nobody wants to say the truth. Today instead of plotting how to win an election, they are talking about Wike. Wike is not important, why are you worried? Allow Wike to rest. “Everybody go to your state and deliver. I don’t stay in Abuja. I don’t sleep there. I am here every day with my people. See our report card and see why you will vote our governorship candidate and all the other candidates. We have done well.
“Nigerians, ask your leaders to account for the money they gave to them. I can account for the money. See part of the money. Go to the judge’s quarters; flyovers one to 12, the Law School built in one year. I contested the election to render service to the people of the state.”
The governor said the legislative quarters were built to provide conducive accommodations for state lawmakers to make good laws adding that all the houses had been furnished.
He said: “Look at the environment legislators are going to live in. They will make good laws. Some people say it is money. It is not money, the little you have, show what you can do. It is about your commitment, love and passion for your state and country.”
He said persons after him would soon hear from him at the right time saying he would choke all of them.
Credit : THE NATION.
