No Regret For Not Supporting PDP, Atiku In 2023 Presidential Poll, Says Wike

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday said he has no regret working against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.

Wike, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, denied engaging in anti-party activities by refusing to support Atiku Abubakar, the then PDP presidential candidate.

He defended his decision, saying it was taken for the sake of justice and fairness.

“For presidential election, I said I am going to support equity, fairness and justice. In the other one, I am going to support my party and that is why we won the governor, National Assembly election,” Wike said.

“For presidential, I have no apologies because I don’t believe in injustice. Today people say ‘discipline Wike, he did anti-party.’ I did not do anti-party,” Wike said.

In the build up the 2023 general elections, Wike, then governor of Rivers State, joined forces with four other aggrieved PDP governors, including Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) against Atiku’s ambition.

The five governors had been consistent in their demand that Senator Iyorchia Ayu step down as PDP national chairman as a precondition for them to support the presidential ambition of the party’s flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku later lost the presidential election to the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, under whose government he is serving as minister.