As the infighting in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) endures, the Atiku Campaign Organization in Rivers has accused Governor Nyeson Wike of working for candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in this month’s election.
This was on the backdrop of Wike’s recent withdrawal of Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, the hitherto approved venue for the Atiku Abubakar’s campaign rally in the state.
In a letter signed by the director, Rivers State PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, and addressed to the Governor on Thursday, the Council slammed the governor for alleged anti-party activities.
The Council insisted Wike’s public utterances and conduct were suggestive of his unambiguous alignment with the former Lagos governor.
The letter reads: “You stated that credible intelligence available to the Government of Rivers State and recent developments now show that our presidential campaign organisation is working in collaboration and cohort with a faction of the APC in Rivers State led by Tonye Patrick Cole and that it is the intention of our campaign organisation to accommodate and share the approved facility for our campaign with the said faction of the APC.
“We wish to state as follows in reply: We completely deny your assertion as patently false and perverse and we believe that our highly respected security agencies cannot furnish you with such untrue and unfounded lies.
“That the PDP Presidential Campaign Council has nothing whatsoever to do with the APC in Rivers State. That it is appalling and highly preposterous for you or anyone to assume that the PDP and APC could jointly hold an event at the same venue.
“Your general public utterances, innuendos and conduct have pointed to the fact that you are bent on frustrating and, if possible, preventing the emergence of the PDP presidential candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, as the next president of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Finally, your involvement in the so-called G-5 is the height of anti-party activity. It is therefore surprising that you are now accusing us of hobnobbing with the APC faction in River State.”
G5 Governors composed of Nyeson Wike, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Seyi Makinde had continued to stay away from PDP presidential campaign rallies over the failure of Iyorchia Ayu to step down for a national chairman from the South.
While the group in December last year had also promised to unveil its preferred presidential for the forthcoming elections, a number of party members had described their insistence as irrelevant and baseless.
