Atiku’s Campaign: Wike Dancing Like Village Masquerade

•Melaye: Former VP’s only offence was that he defeated him in transparent primary election

•Rivers Governor: I never meant to mock PDP presidential candidate

Chuks Okocha, Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The campaign office of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday described the recent outbursts by Governor of Rivers state, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as a man dancing like a village masquerade.

In recent months, Wike has taken out time to attack Atiku, who defeated him during the PDP presidential primaries.

In a statement tagged: “Wike’s Nonsensical Gaffe,” the Special Assistant, Public Communication to Atiku, Phrank Shaibu, quoting Proverbs 14:17 in the Holy Bible, said this perhaps explains why a governor who was once a shining light in his party has thrown caution to the wind and has become a laughing stock.

“Everyday, Wike dances like a village masquerade on live television, entertaining Nigerians with the same boring moves. He acts like a failed Tik Tok comedian desperately trying to amuse Nigerians with the same platitudes just because he lost the primary and also failed to emerge as the vice presidential candidate of the PDP.

“His constant weeping is like the blubbering of an infant taken off his mother’s breast. Wike’s cacophonous cry of hurt and inconsolable thrashing will never end even if the proverbial breast is put back in his mouth,” the PDP candidate’s campaign said.

Atiku stated if anyone wants to understand the true meaning of bitterness and anger, they should watch out for Wike each time he spends tax payers monies on his live broadcasts.

At every turn of event, Atiku’s campaign maintained that Wike comes forth with new episodes of his dramatic performances, noting that what is common to all his acts is that his vile verbiage and intemperate vituperations are symptomatic of a pathetically disruptive mind with a deep character flaw.

“In his latest attempt to mock Waziri Atiku Abubakar after former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to endorse former Governor Peter Obi, Wike again shot himself in the foot.

“According to the cantankerous and loquacious governor, the decision of Obasanjo to support Obi is evidence that Atiku is unfit for the presidency.

“Going by Wike’s flawed logic, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s refusal to support his Vice President, William Ruto, meant that Ruto was unfit for office. The great people of Kenya, however, do not think in a flawed manner like Wike,”  Atiku’s office argued.

Even in Nigeria, it stated that President Muhammadu Buhari did not support Vice President Yemi Osinbajo despite the fact that Osinbajo had served as acting president for over five months when Buhari was on medical vacation in London.

“If we bring it closer to Rivers State, it means Wike’s deputy is incompetent hence his decision to anoint Siminialayi Fubara, as his successor. In fact Wike’s domineering attitude has made his deputy redundant, hence no one even knows who she is.

“What Wike failed to acknowledge during his latest tirade is that Atiku remains the only former vice president in the history of Nigeria to ever be publicly endorsed by his principal and this happened in 2019 when Obasanjo decided to support him,” the Atiku campaign office stated.

On the other hand, it pointed out that no one finds Wike worthy of wielding presidential power, not even his predecessors, maintaining that rather than try to repair his damaged reputation, Wike continues to cry over spilt milk.

“When has the lack of support of an ex-president ever translated to fitness of an office?

“Finally, let me state that our decorous demeanour belong to us – they are not dictated by whether someone is intemperate towards us. We will hit back if we have to, but God forbid that we will ever descend to the level of the gutter that some people live in. Wike really needs to grow up and respect the office he holds,” the PDP presidential candidate’s office stated.

 Also yesterday, the PDP PCC yesterday said the only offence that Atiku committed against Wike was that he defeated him in a transparent election.

In a statement by the spokesman of the PDP PCC, Senator Dino Melaye said, “the only crime is that he won a transparent presidential primary.”

According to Melaye; “Wike should be ashamed that he has constantly solicited the attention of Atiku by his continuous disrespect and unwarranted insult of a man who did nothing to you.

“Atiku’s only crime is that he won a transparent presidential primary.  Wike was Chief of Staff to Amaechi, but Amaechi did not trust him enough to hand over to him.

“I advise him to support whoever he wishes to support as we will no longer tolerate his insolent tendencies. The question is, is there something wrong with Wike that Amaechi did not hand over to him? Why will Prince Uche Secondus, Rt. Hon. Austin Okpara, Sen. Lee Meaba, Celestine Omehia, Chief Abiye Sikibo, Sen George Sekibo, Hon. Chinyere Igwe, etc, leave him unceremoniously for Atiku. Something is definitely wrong somewhere,” Melanie said.

Also Melaye said since Obasanjo wrote his controversial book, ‘My Command,’ there had been telling indicators to deduce that he had tried to live in the reality of being in charge always.

According to Melaye, “To be sure, he has tried to impress as the facilitator of succeeding presidents of Nigeria. Ironically, this attitude has grouped him among those euphemistically tagged ‘Owners of Nigeria.’

“His recent advisory on the February 25 election is another testimony to his misconception of being an electoral janitor who can padlock and unlock Nigeria’s electoral fortune at will.

“In the period preceding the 2015 elections, Obasanjo, in his characteristic janitorial expedition, aligned with the marketers of false change. He even tore the membership card of the Party that gave him the opportunity to be President of Nigeria for 8 years. He also appeared in photo opportunities with Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“A few months after Buhari’s election, Obasanjo realised that he had misled himself and many Nigerians. He tried to fight back in 2019, but by then, Buhari had designed some unorthodox ways to remain in power.”

He added: “With about 50 days to the 2023 election, former President Obasanjo is out again as the ‘custodian’ of the key to Aso rock, endorsing a candidate whose main office would be in Abeokuta with the annex office in Abuja. It is hypocritical and politically heretic to appeal to Nigerian youths to take their turn by supporting a candidate who is far older than many other young flagbearers. This is the facade in Obasanjo’s postulation. Neither Nigerian youths nor other discerning electorates are deceived anymore.”

Wike: I Never Meant to Mock Atiku

Meanwhile, Wike has explained that he meant no bad in his public comment on the endorsement of Peter Obi by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, instead of Atiku.

The Rivers State governor stressed that his comment stemmed from concern for the PDP.

Wike made the clarification yesterday, during the flag-off of the construction of Mgbuodohia Road in Rumuolumeni Town of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The governor observed that former president Obasanjo had served as president on the platform of the PDP with Atiku as his vice for eight years, hence, ideally he should have been in a better position to solicit for support from Nigerians on his behalf with confidence.

Wike noted that by endorsing another candidate other than Atiku, then something was fundamentally wrong that should elicit concern by members of PDP.

“I meant no bad. I am only worried as a prominent PDP member. A man who loves PDP should be worried. I was not mocking anybody.  I was merely worried.

“My prayer was, look, let Obasanjo remain quiet and not say anything. That was all my prayer, but my prayer didn’t work.  My prayer was that if this man makes any statement, it will indict us because he was president under the PDP for eight years, and he worked with our presidential candidate. And the campaign of our presidential council is that our presidential candidate during the eight years did very well, with experience,” he said.

He insisted that for Obasanjo to have gone ahead to endorse Obi, instead of Atiku, it meant something must be fundamentally wrong. Wike wondered that instead of people in the party to look at the issues critically, and ponder on what could be done with the seeming wrong, they were abusing him.

“What did I do? I didn’t do anything. All I did was to express concern. If you care for this party, it is for you to go back, and ask what is fundamentally wrong?

“Me, that is worried that we should do something and have expressed it, you are abusing me for telling the party that we should do something.”

Wike insisted that it was only those who love the PDP that would be bent on ensuring that nothing untoward happened to it.

He described those abusing him as jobbers and political flirts who jump from one party to another every other day, saying one of them is now a spokesman of the party.

“They are not bothered, but those of us who since 1998 joined this party, contributed for the survival of this party until now, we keep shouting always when we see danger coming.

“Abuses upon abuses, it will not change anything, rather it will spoil more things. What you don’t know, ask people, seek for advise, people will help you to solve the problem,” Wike said.

The Rivers State governor said abusing members of the Integrity Group, which is made of the five aggrieved governors he leads, the PDP would only complicate the lingering crisis in the party. He further cautioned those who issuing threats of possible punitive action against the G5 governors to perish the thought.

 “Nobody can drive us from this house we have built. All of us will fight here. So, if anybody thinks that you can just sit in your house and dish out orders, it will not work. The house will collapse on you. So, you better think twice,” he added.

Wike flayed the former National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and insisted companies that bided and got the contract awards for projects sited in Andoni were introduced by him.

According to Wike the companies were paid, but those projects were never executed, saying Secondus cannot extricate himself  from the companies that got those jobs.

Wike also said the soul and strength of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers have departed, leaving the carcass.

With this, he said the party cannot get any electoral support from Rivers electorate.

Specifically, Wike pointed to the level of support that Chief Anele Orobule, a die-hard believer in the former governor Chibuike Amaechi, gave to the APC but was disgraced because of failed promises.