The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has been accused by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State, Muazu Magaji of lobbying to be the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
According to Magaji, Wike lobbied members of the committee set up to advise Atiku on the choice of running mate.
Recall that the committee recommended the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel and Governor Wike.
The committee, however, declared Wike the most preferred person for the position, but Atiku chose Okowa as his running mate, a decision which has seen the party in crisis all this while.
Magaji during an interview on Channels TV on Thursday claimed that Atiku did not promise Wike the vice presidential slot as claimed in some quarters.
The former governorship aspirant accused Governor Wike of lobbying to be scored higher by members of the committee, adding that the Rivers State Governor should not be trusted with important positions in the country.
Magaji said, “There is no evidence that Atiku promised Wike the vice presidency. The Vice President’s pick is a prerogative of the candidate, it’s a process. There was a process that was also rigged.
“One of the fears is this, if an individual will be going behind a structure and institution and rigging the system to get what he wants, then we cannot also trust the same individual as a principal actor on the commonwealth of the Nigerian people.
“I want to say clearly that when the committee was set up to screen candidates and make recommendations to the presidential candidate to pick his vice president, nobody gave the mandate of picking the vice president to any committee.
“What I meant when I said the process was rigged is this: the process turned out an individual who we later understand to have lobbied the committee to get his way.”
Speaking on the absence of Wike’s camp at the inauguration of the PDP campaign council, he said Atiku is reaching out to aggrieved members.
He further stated that what the camp of Governor Wike is asking for is against the constitution of the party.
According to Magaji, an individual has fought three chairmen of the party, adding that the same person installed and removed the chairman of the party.
He said such an individual cannot be bigger than the party and the institution.
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