PDP group refutes Wike’s claim of exclusion from Atiku’s campaign council

A group known as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders says there’s no iota of truth in the claim by Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, that Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the party, excluded him while forming the campaign council.

Wike had alleged that Abubakar selected people from Rivers as members of the PDP presidential campaign council without consulting him.

In a statement on Monday, Tai Oyekan, coordinator of the group, alleged that Wike was contacted by the party and Abubakar but he refused to participate in the process.

The group warned Wike to desist from telling lies against Abubakar and the party.

“Whereas all state governors made nominations into the council, it was only in Rivers State that the governor refused to forward his nominations into the council,” the statement reads.

“It was therefore upon the refusal of the governor that the PDP and its presidential candidate went ahead by their own discretion to make nominations into the council.

“It is public knowledge that Governor Wike has gone amok with the party since his failure to emerge as presidential candidate of the party and has stated, publicly also, that he will not cooperate with the party in our presidential campaign.

“Governor Wike can be likened to a prodigal son who took his inheritance in annoyance. But we are hopeful that the party, as father to all, will have the rectitude to accept Governor Wike back as a prodigal son whenever he returns in penitence.

“But before then, we wish to admonish Governor Wike that for the purpose of posterity, he should desist from telling lies against the PDP and leaders of the party. Nigeria operates a democratic politics and that means that Governor Wike has the rights of participation or otherwise. Be that as it may, however, he alone does not approximate Rivers state.

“There are respected leaders who have made their marks in life and politics and are indigenes of Rivers.

“We consider it inglorious on the part of the governor that he would describe such people as ‘enemies of Rivers State’ only because they refuse to be a party of his solo-travel to political obscurity.”