- Says Wike Will Seal PDP’s Fate In 2023
The outlook for the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar appears to be taking further deep as a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not in the 2023 presidential race.
Galadima, who gave perspectives on how the presidential race is shaping up, including the spoiler role that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike is currently playing against Atiku, said there is no chance of the PDP winning the next presidential election.
Galadima said that the South East and South South have been taken out of the permutations for Atiku and PDP, following his unending feud with Wike and the emergence of the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi.
“PDP is not even on the ballot because its strength is in the South-East, which has been eroded by Peter Obi,” he recently said on a political programme on Channels TV.
“The next strength of PDP is in the South-South. With Wike never supporting Atiku, the South-South is gone.”
The NNPP Chieftain argued that as things stand, the PDP cannot boast of any other party chieftain who can successfully replace the Rivers Governor and play the Wike’s role in the PDP to influence dynamics in favour of the party in next year’s polls, especially in the South.
“With Udom (Akwa-Ibom Governor) not picked as the Vice-Presidential candidate, I don’t think he can use his money to counter wike’s influence in the South-East and Wike is not only strong in the South-East, Wike commands 14 states of Nigeria for the PDP and all of them follow him. Five serving Governors, nine gubernatorial candidates outside PDP controlled states all belong to Wike.
“It’s what Wike decides that will happen in the PDP.” Galadima added.
Speaking on Atiku’s chances up north, Galadima claimed his party NNPP’s candidate and former Kano Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso would carry the day over Atiku, saying “The north-east is completely Kwankwaso because he will win Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, and Bauchi, including the governorship.”
Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) are the main contenders in the 2023 presidential election.
The New Diplomat reports that while Wike has not quit the PDP, many political watchers had projected that he’s likely to work against the party, yet remaining in it.
Early evidence was his recent endorsement of APC’s Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a re-election in Lagos, spurning his party’s guber candidate in the state, Olajide Adediran (Jandor), making many to predict Tinubu would soon benefit from Wike’s political capital in the coming days if what has been perceived as Wike’s anti-party activities continues.
