Ayo Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti State, has outlined why he thinks Nyesom Wike will never back Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s nominee for president.
In an exclusive telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Fayose stated that after President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term expires in 2023, leadership must move to the southern region of Nigeria.
The former governor of Ekiti claimed that Mr. Atiku broke his pledge to Mr. Wike by choosing Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State, as his running mate.
“Wike never expressed a desire to serve as vice president, but when Atiku visited him, it was he who said, “I want you to be my vice president. That is what he told Wike. Is Wike not expected to be notified if that were to change? Does he not have a right to know?
He thought back to Mr. Atiku’s decision to disregard the advice of a committee appointed by the opposition party to select his running partner.
“PDP established a committee to recommend a running mate for the candidate, and the committee voted and selected Wike. However, they disregarded the committee’s recommendation.”
“We will demonstrate to them that we can reject the party even if it is now a one-man show. We support Wike wholeheartedly.
They will assert that Wike is sufficient whenever they require Wike’s resources and assistance. We will stick by Wike despite his injuries. We would follow his instructions to the letter and travel wherever he asks us to.
The former governor responded to a question on what would occur if Mr. Wike requested them to back Mr. Atiku by saying:
“Wike will never advise us to back Atiku.
Wike is unable to publicly declare his support for Atiku. He knows that whatever he says will follow him around for the rest of his life, so I challenge him to say it. We will reject Wike if he backs Atiku.
To the south, power
When asked if the intention was to officially support either Peter Obi of the Labour Party or Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Fayose responded, “This is not about Bola Tinubu or Obi, but this is about our belief that power must come to the south and it is a struggle we must actualize.
Mr. Fayose went on to say that “the presidency was designated to the southwest after the June 12 election was cancelled to appease the southwest region.
“It was thought that previous President Goodluck Jonathan was already utilizing the northern slot when he overstayed his welcome. He was therefore opposed, and the APC placed a candidate from the north. Because Buhari has been in office for eight years, the south is being considered this time. Why will PDP insist that it must once more be the north’s turn?
Mr. Fayose added that he doesn’t mind if people think of his acts as being anti-party.
What I’m trying to convey is that now is the South’s turn, and if they want to kick me out, so be it. I’m not paying anyone to be a part of this party.
We will assist them in rocking the boat if they wish to.
