The camp of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has condemned the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar for picking the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
Tracknews had earlier reported that the former Vice President on Thursday announced Okowa as his running mate at the National Secretariat of the party.
The loyalists of Governor Wike who stated that it was the right of Atiku to pick his running, condemned him for not following the decision of a committee set up to pick the party’s Vice Presidential candidate.
The Chairman of the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Samuel Nwanosike in an interview with Punch said, “There is a local proverb in my village that says nobody will tell a man that eats yam to go and drink water.
“If you are eating yam, you must look for water to drink because if you eat yam without drinking water, it will choke you.”
“If he kept to his words like he said to go with the party’s overwhelming choice, then he would have respected the decision of the panel, the party’s national chairman and his team set up.”
According to Nwanosike, the Rivers State Governor was nominated by all stakeholders of the party as Atiku’s running mate.
Nwanosike when asked if the decision of Atiku would not affect his presidential ambition, he said, “He has made his calculations. And since he has made his calculations, he (Atiku) will live with the result. He will see out of his calculations. It is not the first time he has been the candidate of the party.
“He was the candidate of the party in 2019. He knows what the result was. Now he has made a decision. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and wait for the decision of the electorate. Right now, it is no longer in the hands of Dr Iyorcha Ayu and his team. It is now in the hands of the electorate.”
A former member of the House of Representatives representing Etche-Omuma Constituency, Ogbonna Nwuke on his part said Governor Wike would speak at the appropriate time.
Nwuke further stated that Atiku did not reject Wike, but he rejected Rivers State.
Nwuke said, “I believe that our leader will speak at the appropriate time. We are members and whatever decision he makes will be okay by us because he is the one wearing the shoe now. I think it is not Governor Wike that Atiku rejected; it is Rivers State he rejected.”
