The governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, yesterday revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan was asked by the camp of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 election, Mr. Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from seeking re-election in 2015.
He stated this at the inauguration of the Akpabu-Omudioga-Egbeda Road in Emohua, Rivers State.
The governor of Rivers State, Mr. Dave Umahi was in attendance.
Wike said Jonathan went to London to appeal to Atiku, who had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time, to support his re-election bid for the 2015 poll.
“What I don’t like in people is that we forget history easily. In 2015, when Jonathan, as a sitting president, had won his primary, Jonathan went to London, in Dorchester Hotel.
“He went to plead with this our presidential candidate today, Atiku Abubakar, saying ‘please, my brother, come back to the party and support me’.
“You know the condition they gave to Jonathan? He should relinquish his ticket not to run as the president of Nigeria.
“That was a sitting president and the presidential candidate of a ruling party. They gave him condition.”
Wike insisted that it is in the interest of justice for the national chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu to step down, adding that he had no problem with Atiku as the presidential candidate.
“I don’t understand how people who made us lose election in 2015 can now say they are defending the party,” he added.
The Rivers governor also told Umahi to advise the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to bother to campaign in the state, adding that “here, everywhere is sealed up” in support of the PDP.
