Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly telling lies against him.

Reacting to Atiku’s claim that a committee has been set up to reach out to him, Wike said he was not aware of any committee set up by PDP or the party’s presidential candidate for that purpose.

Wike disclosed that both Atiku and the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, had not reached out to him after the party’s presidential primary in May.

The governor described as unfortunate the unguarded public comments credited to respectable party members against him after the conduct of the PDP presidential primary on May 29-30, 2022.

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, noted that the governor spoke at the international wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, shortly after his arrival from Spain yesterday.

Wike cited how Atiku used the occasion of the unveiling of the party’s vice presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and his appearance on national television to lie against him.

He said: “But there comes a time that people will understand and know the true facts. So, obviously, whether I will speak is not in doubt, to let Nigerians know the actual truth. Having known the truth, whatever they decide to do with it is left to Nigerians.

“Because, you can imagine, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Abubakar, when he unveiled the vice presidential candidate, no right thinking lover of this party would say that the speech he made on that day was fair. Forget about the favour seekers. Forget about the scavengers. But I never reacted to it. That is because this party belongs to all of us.

“Thereafter, he appeared on Arise Television; see the statement he made. So many lies were told and you said I should not react to some of those issues. That would not be fair.”

Wike explained that after the PDP primaries, he returned to Rivers State to focus on fulfilling the remaining promises he made to the Rivers people.

He stated that a number of completed projects had already been outlined for the inauguration, adding that when that is done, he would respond to all the lies peddled against him.

“Assuming today, I’m not alive, obviously what they have said would be accepted as the truth. Look at his (Atiku) attack dogs, Sule Lamido, Babangida Aliyu, Maina Waziri. Look at the statements they issued. Look at the abuses they rained on me, but I never reacted.

“And Nigerians will ask, you mean these things happened? So, it is important that as a person and for my own future, and for those who rally around me to say, look, this is not fair. So, I will make sure that I will react to them, line by line of the statements made by Abubakar himself and his attack dogs,” he vowed.

Wike asserted that he contested the presidential primary and emerged in the second position, noting that he would not tolerate being disparaged.

He emphasised that he would speak to lovers of the party by putting the records straight so that they would know who is being truthful.

He added: “Look at it; a presidential candidate who believes that he wants to win the election, and somebody who contested fiercely with him that has never raised any issue. I just kept quiet, just minded my business, to see how my state can move forward.

“But every day, his people come up to attack me, to say one thing or the other. That’s quite unfair and so I should let Nigerians know at the appropriate time; that will be after the commissioning of projects that we have lined up.

“We will say, look this is not correct so that posterity, history will be on our side that we have been able to keep the record straight. So, nobody should be in doubt whether I am going to speak on the issue of PDP, issues of the primaries and other related matters.

“Nigerians will know what happened; Nigerians will know those who love this country; Nigerians will know what went behind. And that is to assure you I’m going to speak on that.”

He clarified that Bukola Saraki met with him in Spain, but said Atiku did not send him, saying nobody should think in such a direction.

He wondered why Atiku who visited him at his place to solicit his support does not know the way to the house he once visited.

“I want to tell members of the public, as far as I am concerned, I love this party; I have remained committed and I have been able to play my part. I’m not talking about leaving this party.

“I am not one of those who are running around the presidential candidate to say I want to be this. I am not one of those favour seekers, scavengers looking for how they will survive.

“After the commissioning of projects that we have lined up, we will be able to speak to Nigerians and tell them what happened. It doesn’t matter who is involved.

“I am not a slave, and I will not be a slave; I’m a free-born of this country. I must be able to say how things are, whether it suits you or it does not suit you is immaterial.

“So, members of the public should please bear with us that we must put the records straight. If we don’t put the records straight, history will not be happy with us,” he said.

 

The Guardian