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Peoples Democratic Party’s loyalists to its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar have dismissed speculations that Wike and other G5 governors have plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress now or later.
Sources who are privy to this development mention this to newsmen in Abuja.
TheNewsGuru reports that Rivers State governor, Wike and other G5 governors have turned their back at Alhaji Atiku Abubakar citing different reasons for doing so, noting that they will rescind their decision if the incumbent National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, was removed.
Recall that Wike heads a team known as G5 governors who turned their back at Atiku insisting that the party must respect intra-party zoning arrangement agreed upon by members of the party.
They claim that if they must support Atiku then Iyiorcha Ayu should be removed from office to have regional balancing within the party.
In September, the governors and other key stakeholders of the party, including former governors Donald Duke (Cross River), Jonah Jang (Plateau), and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) as well as a former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana; a former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Bode George, and a host of others resigned their membership of the presidential campaign council in a bid to prevail on Atiku to mount pressure on Ayu to resign.
However, the former vice president chose to keep his distance, insisting that only Ayu could determine whether to stay on or not.
Meanwhile, there were insinuations that following the failure of Atiku to heed the counsel of the aggrieved party leaders, Governor Wike had resolved to support the candidacy of Tinubu, believing his chances were brighter than that of the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Wike had a few weeks ago said the PDP in Rivers would rally round all candidates for the House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship elections, adding that until the right thing was done, Atiku remained a loner in the oil-rich state.
“PDP will win our state. I am not hiding it as far as the governorship, House of Representatives, Senate and state Assembly are concerned. The other one, we have not decided, until the right thing is done,” Wike had said.
Also, at the commissioning of the Rukpokwu-Igwuruta Link Road located in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state a fortnight ago, Wike caused panic in the camp of Atiku when he asked the mammoth crowd that came out to witness the event, some troubling questions.
“Then the other one (presidential election), I will come and tell you where you will vote. All I will tell you is, don’t worry, calm down. Those that I mentioned, make sure you vote for them. Very soon, we will meet at our houses and take a decision about where we are going. You will work for a party that has come to your aid, a party that has brought dividends of democracy,” he added.