Atiku lost to Tinubu because PDP rejected southern presidency, says Wike

Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not win the presidential election because it refused to adhere to the zoning formula.

In 2022, the PDP battled a series of crises and infighting following the appointment of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman and the subsequent election of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate.

A group of five governors — known as G5 — led by Wike argued that Atiku’s election as presidential candidate goes against the agreement to zone the presidency to the south. They insisted that Ayu must step down as party chairman if they were to back Atiku.

Attempts by party stakeholders to resolve the issues failed to yield desired results.

Atiku would eventually lose the presidential election of February 25 to Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on Monday during the inauguration of the Chokocho-Igbodo road in Rivers, Wike said the PDP candidate lost because he failed to heed the warnings of the G5 and other appeals to adopt the principle of equity, fairness and justice.

He said the outcome of the election is in line with the constitutional provision that the presidency should return to the south.

“Our constitution says in section 7: 3c that there shall be rotation of public offices; of appointive and elective,” he said.

“You took the chairmanship of the party. You took the presidential candidate slot of the party and we came to you, saying this is against the spirit of our constitution. Give us back the chairmanship, you said no, that you must have it all because you have won.

“I said be careful then, and nobody wants to remember all those things when we were shouting. That is what we have argued for, that the north has had it for eight years, therefore the south should have it for eight years. So, I am not here to persecute anybody.

“As far as I am concerned, anybody from the south is where I stand. That is what we agreed as Integrity Group that we must make sure that the south emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”