Sule Lamido, a leader in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the governor of Jigawa State, has intervened in the attempt at reconciliation between Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, and Atiku Abubakar, the party's presidential candidate.
When discussing the conflict between the two on a Channels TV interview on Tuesday, Lamido said that nobody had insulted Governor Wike and insisted that Atiku had been chosen as the party's flag bearer during the party convention in May.
The former foreign affairs minister also knocks the governor of the oil rich state, noting that being governor is not an indication that he also has monopoly over the state.
He said, “This party like all parties in Nigeria has its own constitution, norms and guidelines and if you look at the procedure under the PDP right from counsellorship to chairmanship to the member House of Assembly, the governor, National Assembly, there are specified rules and regulations; and it is the congresses which produce these officers at all levels.
“People contest for counsellorship; some win, some lose. The same with chairmanship and governorship. So what is the big deal about Wike? To me who offended Wike? Who offended him? There is no issue here.
“There was convention of the party in Abuja where Wike by his own testimony said it was credible; it was transparent. So what is the big deal here? Who offended who there? I want to know first because why is Wike the issue here?
“The convention produced a candidate who won the primary. If there is any offence it was the convention which offended Wike not Atiku, nor the party Chairman.”
Lamido stated that Wike does not have political monopoly in Rivers State just because he is the governor.
He added, “Wike is an individual. I don’t think because he is the governor he has the monopoly in Rivers. Rivers people are in PDP in their own right. They are there in 1999. He cannot be their emperor because he is the governor; it cannot work.”