Atiku’s Spokesperson Accuses FCT Minister of prioritizing personal interests over party goals.
”Well, Wike has charted different paths to serve his interest because I don’t understand what interest, it is the PDP interest? It cannot be. It is his interest all well and good for him,” Ibe stated in Seun Okinbaloye’s Mic On podcast released on Saturday.
Ibe ‘s remarks follow the political friction between Wike and Atiku, reportedly leading to Peter Obit’s departure from the party and his subsequent candidacy with the Labour Party. He clarified that Atiku was not responsible for the split.
”Atiku Abubakar didn’t in any way force Obi’s exit from the party. It’s not about relationships (Atiku managing the relationship between himself and Obi), there were factors,” he explained.
Ibe blamed Wike for Obi’s exit, alleging his ambition for the southern presidency as a key factor.
”Wike was also instrumental to Obi’s exit because Wike had promoted his zone of the presidency to the south. Atiku had said that he was prepared to get himself off the ticket if the party zones to the ticket to southeast,” Ibe revealed.
Ibe claimed that Wike sabotaged the South East ticket to boost his own nomination prospects.
”Wike frustrated that efforts because he believed that if it was zoned to the South and not the South East, he would have been in the best position to get the ticket. So he was instrumental in the exit of Obi out of the party,” Ibe asserted.
Ibe acknowledged the strength of the Atiku-Obi ticket in the 2019 election and implied that the Labor Party’s recent performance diverted votes from the PDP.
”No doubt that the Atiku-Obi ticket of 2019 was a viable ticket and remained viable (if it happened in 2023 elections) because the Labor Party took away some of the votes of the PDP,” he said.
Ibe urged all stakeholders, including Atiku, to assess what went awry.
”I believe this is time to reflect and look at what went wrong, and I want to believe that all the actors, including His Excellency Atiku, have that reflection, perhaps that is why he (Atiku) keeps urging for a coalition of the poly because if they stand together, that allows them to be able to oust the ruling party,” he said.
The division between Atiku and Wike deepened within the party, with both the former Vice President and the ex-Rivers State governor maintaining their respective PDP structures and pursuing conflicting agendas.