Atiku: Stop Playing God, Rights Group Cautions Wike

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

A human rights organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has cautioned the River State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike to stop playing God over the former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 2023 presidential election,  Atiku Abubakar, saying that only God chooses leader and not people with parochial interest.
The group gave the caution  following incessant attacks on  Abubakar as if  the governor was God that would choose the next president for Nigerians in 2023.
Reacting to the recent statement credited to Governor Wike in the media that the people of River State should vote for all the candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) except the party presidential candidate, Abubakar, the group said  Wike and his acclaimed team should retrace their step from political dungeon as nobody could stop Abubakar from become President of Nigeria in 2023 if God  has destined it to be.
According to a signed statement at the weekend by CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman,  Wike has not played political maturity since he lost to the PDP  presidential ticket to  Abubakar at the 2022 party’s National Presidential Primary.
It stressed that Governor Wike should know that his popularity during the presidential party primary was just 32 per cent because for him to lose the said primary immediately after Governor Aminu Tanbuwa stepped down for Atiku, meant a lot in the political space.
The statement further stressed that people of Rivers State nay Nigeria knew whom they are going to vote for come 2023 presidential election but Governor Wike, as a respected leader of the people should stop overheating the politics with his ongoing in- house friction against the party that made him politically.
The statement noted that   Wike could not destroy the  party  that is  more than a person because he lost election at the presidential primary.
The statement added that Governor Wike by now, should adopt internal mechanism of conflict resolution to settle all the grievances within his party instead of adding more injuries to the current problems facing by Nigeria masses under the current ruling party at the national level.
“Governor  Wike should know that people of River State and good people of Nigeria know whom they are going to vote for, during the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election without being  directed   by anybody because they are being bitten harder with the current economic situation imposed by the current administration of ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Nigeria.
“Governor  Wike should also learn from former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, who was strong antagonist of President Muhammadu Buhari when Fayose was second term in office as Governor of the State. But immediately after Fayose left office, you rarely hear the voice of Mr. Fayose again till this present moment and it shows that political office is temporary by started thinking about the life after political office.
“Mr. Wike should know that the people of the country, particularly, the people of River State would hardly hear his voice after leaving office in 2023 and  which shows that the current action of Wike and his team cannot be sustained beyond May 29, 2023.
“So, Wike should thread softly by retracing his step now.
“For us in CHRSJ, we are apolitical but as a responsible citizen by birth as enshrined in the section(25) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
We cannot fold our arms because every human being is a political animal as postulated by the philosopher, this is the reason why we are out to caution Wike to retrace his step on the subject matter,” CHRSJ submitted.