Wike criticised Atiku for not challenging Buhari despite knowing how unfair the president had favoured the people from his region with several appointments.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Thursday tackled the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for criticising the “lopsided appointments” of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Wike who spoke in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital when he hosted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi at the venue of the Nkpolu-Oroworokwo Flyover inauguration, criticised Atiku for not challenging Buhari despite knowing how unfair the president had favoured the people from his region with several appointments.
Recall that the PDP presidential flag bearer, Atiku had on Wednesday said his government would be run on national unity if elected as president in the 2023 general elections.
Atiku had said 17 heads of security agencies were northerners.
He had promised to unify Nigeria by ensuring equity and fairness as well as reflect the federal character system in appointments to government offices.
But Wike described Atiku's comment as insincere and maintained that Nigerians could not be fooled again.
He said, “Some people now are criticising Buhari for appointing all the service chiefs from the north. Why did they not challenge Buhari since? Election has come. Who is fooling who? All these past seven years, you have not challenged Buhari but election has come. Nobody can fool anybody,” the Rivers governor stated.
Wike, therefore, advised Atiku to start his government of national unity within the PDP by ensuring that Iyorchia Ayu step down as PDP national chairman.
Wike and four other PDP governors have been having a running battle with Atiku for months. Known as the G5, the governors demand the resignation of Ayu, saying northerners cannot occupy the seat and that of the party’s presidential candidate.
“Some people said they will form a government of national unity. It is not to talk but start now to implement it. If you cannot implement the small one, is it the big one (you will implement?)
“I pity poor Nigerians. When I heard people go to townhall meetings and said all kinds of things: they said they will implement restructuring, they will make sure that every zone will have a member in the security council, that it is not good for one zone to produce all the security chiefs but it is good for one zone to occupy all party positions. You see how Nigerians are,” the governor stated.
Wike further said he would not leave the party despite the crisis but he would chase out the “armed robbers” within the party.