BY Idris Shehu
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has ruled out the possibility of him and his political allies reaching a last-minute deal with Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor spoke at a media chat held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Thursday.
A group of five governors — known as G5 — led by Wike is against the presidential bid of Atiku, arguing that his election as presidential candidate goes against the agreement to zone the presidency to the south.
Wike and his 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 over calls for Iyorchia Ayu to step down as the national chairperson.
In the past few months, several attempts at reconciliation have failed to yield desired results by some party stakeholders.
Speaking at the media chat, Wike said the timeframe for resolving the grievance of the G5 is “over” and he is “not ready to sit down with anybody again”.
“No, we can’t do that; it’s over! We have said it and there is nothing anybody can do about it now,” the governor said.
“They believe they can win the election. I am not ready to sit down with anybody again.”
Wike said he has informed the residents of Rivers of his preferred presidential candidate and that the people are ready to vote for the individual.
The governor however failed to mention the name of the candidate.
The presidential election is billed to hold on February 25.
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