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Ortom Blows Hot Over Atiku’s Failure To Appease Wike
Ortom Blows Hot Over Atiku’s Failure To Appease Wike
ALL seems not to be well in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the failure of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubukar, to appease Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State after sidetracking him in the race for his running mate.
Governor Sam Ortom of Benue State gave the indication on Wednesday as he accused party leadership and the presidential standard-bearer of disrespecting the first runners-up in the PDP presidential primary.
Speaking in a live interview with Arise Television, the Benue State governor who chaired the committee set up by Atiku to help him arrive at a suitable running mate, revealed that rather than go to Wike in person, Atiku and the party leadership were trying to talk to him over the phone.
He recalled that 14 out of the 17 members of the committee had recommended Wike for the position of the vice presidential candidate but the recommendation was jettisoned by Atiku in favour of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
Ortom said despite the humiliation of the Rivers governor, they had done nothing to appease him to get him to support the PDP.
He also recalled how Wike had sustained the main opposition party when other prominent members deserted it after it lost power in 2015.
Ortom said, “My friend Governor Wike deserves a vacation after the trauma that he went through. Some of us believe that he has the capacity and the charisma to lead this country from bottom to top compared to what has been happening.
“Unfortunately, Nigerians or the PDP people did not give him the opportunity.
“Some of us rooted for him, I was amongst the 17-member committee that was set up by the candidate himself and the party. And some of us said that, for the vice presidency, for those of us in PDP, we needed Wike to be the vice president so that he can bridge the gap.
“When we said it in our meeting, we said that, look, it doesn’t matter whether he supported the presidential candidate or not, all that we’re looking is unity, and how we can make this work.
“Unfortunately, it was said that it is Okowa, who is also a PDP member today. That is the wisdom of the presidential candidate.
“Some of us, I want to tell you that I have resorted back to prayers because I’m really confused, because I felt that Wike would have been the vice president. He was the second person to Atiku. Wike has the charisma.
“It doesn’t matter. All of us have our weaknesses; But when it comes to mobilization and impact, and value addition, or reaching out, or making sure that a party works, Wike is an instrument. Wike is somebody who stood for the party, made sure that things worked.” Tribuneonline
