Atiku Wanted Power To Go South East, Wike Frustrated Peter Obi Out Of PDP – Momodu

Former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would not have bought the party’s form in 2023.

Naijaonpoint reports that Momodu said Atiku advised PDP to zone the party’s presidential ticket to the South East. This, he said was Atiku’s condition not to contest in the last general election.

Speaking with Arise News on Wednesday, the PDP chieftain, said it was a committee headed by Nyesom Wike that threw away Atiku’s advice.

According to him, Atiku gave the condition because Wike insisted that South should be given the ticket after Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years.

He explained that Wike found out that if the ticket was zoned to the South East, he would not stand a chance, since he had said he was not an Igbo man.

The PDP chieftain added that when the ticket was thrown open by Wike’s committee, he wanted to be Atiku’s vice presidential candidate; at that time, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, had been frustrated out of the party.

His words: “PDP does not have problem with North-South. PDP fielded General Obasanjo, 1999-2007. And thereafter, Yaradua came and unfortunately passed on while in power, and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a perfect gentleman, came on board to complete their first term. Then he contested his own. So that’s one plus eight of Obasanjo, that is nine years. After that, Jonathan did another four years. That was 13 years. Okay? And he completed that in 2015. And they still gave him a chance to contest again, which he lost to Buhari. So, had he won that election, PDP would have had Southerners for 17 years out of 24 years. None of you remembers. People try to confuse us by telling lies. So, PDP, I don’t know about APC or any other party. PDP does not have problem.

“It was the same Wike people, complaining about North-South, that brought the committee, that threw our party primarily open. That’s why I was able to buy a form. I bought a form. Because, at that time, Atiku had told them that if they would cede power to the Southeast, then it would make sense to him. But if it would still be a rotation between just a few zones, he would not support it. He wanted them to cede power to the Southeast.

“But because Wike had already disqualified himself by saying he’s not an Igbo man, he’s from South-South, he’s not interested in Igbo or anything. And they succeeded in frustrating Peter Obi out of the party. So, the coast was clear for you, Nyesom Wike. There was nobody who had the capacity. You must give it to him. Now, why did they not pick him? The same man who is completely about North-South was ready to be Vice-President. Let him come out and deny that he never planned to be Vice-President to Atiku.”