Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has criticised the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, for his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s “lopsided appointments.”
Atiku had on Wednesday said he would form a government of national unity, noting that 17 heads of security agencies are northerners. He promised to unify Nigeria by ensuring equity and fairness as well as reflect the federal character system in appointments to government offices.
Wike spoke at the commissioning of the Nkpolu-Oroworokwo flyover in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Thursday.
The governor flayed the former vice president for waiting for seven years before his latest realisation, adding that Nigerians can’t be fooled.
“Some people now are criticising Buhari for appointing all the service chiefs from the North. Why did they not challenge Buhari since? Election has come. Who is fooling whom? All these past seven years, you have not challenged Buhari but election has come. Nobody can fool anybody,” Wike said.
He advised Atiku to start his government of national unity within the PDP by ensuring that Iyorchia Ayu step down as the party’s national chairman.
“Some people said they will form a government of national unity. It is not to talk but start now to implement it. If you cannot implement the small one, is it the big one you will implement?
“I pity poor Nigerians. When I heard people go to town hall meetings and said all kinds of things, they said they will implement restructuring, they will make sure that every zone will have a member in the security council, that it is not good for one zone to produce all the security chiefs but it is good for one zone to occupy all party positions. You see how Nigerians are,” Wike added.
He further said he won’t leave the party despite the crisis but chase out the “armed robbers” within the PDP.
Wike and four of his colleagues have been having a running battle with Atiku for months.
The governors tagged, the G5, are demanding the resignation of Ayu, saying northerners cannot occupy the chairmanship position and the party’s presidential ticket.
