Wike Begged Me to Convince Atiku to Announce Him as Vice Presidential Candidate, Melaye Alleges

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Senator Dino Melaye has replied Governor Nyesom Wike on his recent comments that the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not have the tenacity to win the Kogi State governorship election slated for November 15, this year.

Melaye explained that  that it was because of his capacity that made Wike to fully support his governorship ambition in 2019.

The former representative of Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, disclosed how governor  Wike allegedly begged him to convince the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to announce him as his running mate.

Wike, while responding to responding to questions on a media chat held in Port Harcourt,  alleged that the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum recently called him and expressed concern about attempt to manipulate the Kogi State governorship primary in favour of Melaye.

The Rivers state governor, however, mentioned that Melaye is a joker and does not have the tenacity to win such seat in Kogi. He added PDP was doomed to lose the election if it makes Melaye the standard bearer of the governorship election in the state.

Reacting, Melaye explained how Wike tried to allegedly manipulate him and other members of the party to get the vice presidential candidate ticket. He said the Rivers state governor called him 19 times in two hours but he frankly declined even with so much  promises.

Melaye said: “I want Nigerians to know that Wike was my biggest supporter when I ran for Governorship in 2019. Wike was my biggest supporter financially, and even otherwise. Apart from funding me to a tune of hundreds of dollars, he provided his private jet to drop me in Kogi on the day of the primary.

“His jet dropped me at Kogi from Port Harcourt on the day of the primary, that is to show the level of intensity of his support and belief in me in 2019.

“So the man who saw competence, who saw capacity and even invested his money on me in that project, today, in 2023 is saying that am not qualified.  The only explanation to that is psychotic disorderliness, the only explanation to that is mental fatigue. Because you cannot fund a project few years ago, to the extent that your money, your material resources, he was calling on the day of the primaries to know the development.

“So, the same champion you saw few years ago, today because I have refused to work in alliance to your myopic agenda; because I have refused to collaborate your intellectual stagnancy, you now say that the same person you sponsored years ago, today is no longer qualified to be governor.

“I am more qualified to be governor than Nyesom Wike. If somebody like Yahaya Bello and Wike can become governor, then you are saying the intellectually mobile fine boy Dino cannot be governor, how?.”

Insisting that the outburst was because he allegedly declined the plea to work for the  governor on his ambition for VP, Melaye said: “But I want to tell you that Wike is a pretentious character, is a lier and he has no integrity. Wike was calling me when Atiku Abubakar was about announcing his running mate. I have records, I have printed it out and I am waiting for him.

“He called me 19 times in two hours, begging us to convince Abubakar to make his the vice presidential candidate. So when I see him on television shouting, because of South South agenda, you that was calling us on phone begging, promising us heaven and earth to convince Abubakar to make him vice presidential candidate. He was begging all of us. It was around 1.00 am  when I told him ‘Oga nobody will give you the ticket ‘, that was when he left.

“So, somebody that pleaded to get the vice presidential candidate ticket, because he didn’t get it, he decided to campaign for South South agenda. I don’t believe is such unprincipled, zero integrity character like Nyesom Wike”.

He warned that “If he will not wash his hands off Kogi state and leave Dino Melaye alone, my primary business is other people’s businesses. If I open my can of worms and maggots on Wike, but I am waiting for him”.