Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has broken his silence regarding the chain of events that unfolded during and after the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike spoke on Friday at the Port Harcourt International Airport in the Rivers State capital shortly after returning from a foreign trip, his first public address since losing out on his presidential.
He disclosed that the reason for his long silence is because he respects and loves the PDP.
“I have decided to be quiet because PDP is a party I love so much. I have moved on to conclude my social contract with the people of Rivers. However, it is time to let Nigerians know the truth.”
Wike also faulted the speech by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the day he unveiled Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.
He also accused the former vice president of telling lies against him, as well as using some chieftains of the main opposition party to spread falsehood against his person.
It would be recalled that Atiku, during an interview on Arise TV last week Friday, suggested that he could not work amicably with the governor as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
The former vice president had said he chose someone with “the qualities to be President. The person must have an appreciation of the deep rot which our country has been put into by the rudderless All Progressives Congress government; understands the great suffering that most of our people are going through and the urgency of relieving them of that suffering; understands the critical importance of economic growth and development to provide our young people with jobs, hope, and a pathway to wealth.
“But you must understand that it’s the prerogative of the candidate to pick his running mate — a running mate he believes he can work with amicably, and then also deliver the policies of the party, and also try to unify the country.”
Responding, Wike said, “Thereafter Atiku appeared before Arise Television, see the statements he made. So many lies were told.”
