The former vice president of Nigeria and the present presidential flagbearer of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Chief Atiku Abubakar has said that governor Nyesom Wike, was not rejected in the party and if he had any grievances with the primaries result, he ought to have gone to court, like he (Atiku) had done in the past when he lost elections.
Atiku said this in an interview by Arise News TV crew in their breakfast show, the Morning Show, on Friday which was closely monitored by Truthlive.net.
He further added that the agitation over his choice of running mate is unnecessary because he thinks people need to understand that he made his choice based on his vision.
“It is the prerogative of the candidate to make a choice of a running mate, a running mate who he thinks he can work with amicably and also deliver the policies of the party and also unify the country.”
Atiku stated that on three consecutive occasions where he has been given the presidential tickets, he has picked Igbos as his running mate, “which shows his desire to unify the country.”
He however added that Governor Wike is a “brilliant politician, who is courageous, tenacious and I believe he has a future in the political evolution of this country.”
He reiterated that Wike not being the choice candidate is not a function of rejection as many are making it seem, because rejection is too harsh a word to use on people.
Atiku further added that a committee was set up by the party to give him three names to choose from, he stated that he picked a name from the three names given to him, so it is unfair for people like Governor Samuel Ortom to lie that Wike was the voted choice by the party to become his running mate but he rejected him. He added that Ortom chaired the committee and he still has a copy of the report that was sent to him to him to choose from. He however added that has reached out to Governor Wike and his governor colleagues and he is certain that very soon, the later will be pacified and there will be reconciliation within the party.
On the issue of having the support of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku noted that he has not gone to see Olusegun since he was elected as the PDP presidential flagbearer, but they have been talking and “he assumes that he has Olusegun’s support because he is the best candidate he has to support considering he would be building on his legacy because he was his former boss.”