2019: I didn’t nominate Peter Obi as Atiku’s running mate – Wike

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has denied nominating former Anambra Governor Peter Obi as running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Wike said the visit of four South-South governors to President Muhammadu Buhari had no political connotation, noting that the governors were in the Presidential Villa to discuss the development of Niger Delta.

He spoke in an interview with Channels Television Roadmap 2019.

Wike said: “I never nominated Peter Obi. But the mere fact that the Vice Presidential Candidate is coming from the South-East does not give the zone the sole right to nominate a person , since the entire country will benefit.

“When the South-East said they were not consulted before Peter Obi was nominated, where did we meet as a party to agree that the Vice Presidential Candidate must come from the South-East. But we said if the Presidential Candidate believes he has somebody to work with, we said so be it “.

On the new minimum wage, Wike said the review could only be sustained when the nation’s revenue sharing formula was reviewed.

“I will never oppose the upward review of minimum wage for workers. But the revenue sharing formula must be reviewed. Assuming a state like Zamfara gets N3 billion monthly, and their monthly wage bill is N4 billion, then the state will not survive. Labour should understand the situation.’’

“You cannot talk of sustainable new minimum wage when you have not reviewed the revenue sharing formula. More of the money should be moved from the Federal Government to the states that bear the burden of governance. If there is no review of the revenue sharing formula, then we are not being fair.”