2023: I don’t need Wike, Rivers votes to become president – Atiku boasts

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has said he does not need Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s support to win the 2023 presidential election.

Although Atiku and Wike met on Thursday in Abuja at the instance of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Walid Jibrin, the former is not ready to bow.

The meeting was hosted by former Information and Culture Minister Prof. Jerry Gana at his residence.

At a meeting with BoT members on Wednesday, Atiku boasted that PDP can win next year’s election without many votes from Rivers State.

He said there was no cause for alarm if Wike did not want to fall in line with him.

Exuding confidence, Atiku recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, who did not win Rivers State, relied on votes from Lagos, Kano and other strategic states to win the 2019 presidential poll.

He also said PDP ran into crisis because Wike allegedly monetised the presidential primary.

Wike, who was privy to what transpired at the BOT meeting, was said to have complained about Atiku’s recent comment about him.

The Nation quoted a source as saying that: “Wike joined issues with Atiku over his recent comments or pronouncements at the second meeting.

“He asked Atiku some questions:

The source said Wike rallied his friends, supporters and associates to boost the campaign of the PDP’s candidate with a huge amount in 2019.

“Wike has been a party man and he has never wavered in his commitment to his party’s return to power in 2023.

“If he did it for Atiku in 2019, he will do the same this time around.”