TheCable

Uche Secondus, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, will win Rivers state despite the lack of support from Nyesom Wike.

Secondus spoke when he participated in an  Arise TV programme on Wednesday.

Wike and his G5 allies — including Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu — have excluded themselves from the party’s presidential campaign as they asked Iyorchia Ayu to step down as the party’s national chairperson.

Last week, the Rivers governor ruled out a last-minute reconciliation with Atiku, noting that he had already informed the people of the state who to vote in the presidential poll.

Reacting to the development, Secondus said the “people themselves are convinced that on that day they are voting Atiku and PDP” despite “anybody’s ego”.

He said the party has made an incursion into the grassroots, and “no matter the amount of intimidation and attempt to swing votes” from the PDP.

“Since we saw that the governor and his team have switched from the party’s presidential candidate, even though he wowed that to support them, that has not gone down well with grassroots. I believe that Rivers people have been voting PDP from 1999 till date. What we have done so far in the state is to make sure we go back to the grassroots and the people, themselves, who are voting that day. We are not depending on anybody’s ego,” Secondus said.

“While we watch the governor attacking our presidential candidate over and over, the people themselves are convinced that on that day they are voting Atiku and PDP. So nobody is going to do any magic, no matter the amount of intimidation and attempt to swing votes to the APC candidate. Atiku Abubakar is going to win Rivers state.”