Bwala who is Atiku Campaign’s spokesman also claimed Wike frustrated efforts by PDP to micro-zone presidency to South East
By Kehinde Okeowo
The spokesman of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, has alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike’s schemes within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) forced the Labour Party (PL) flag bearer, Peter Obi out of the main opposition party.
He also accused the Rivers State governor of frustrating efforts by the PDP to micro-zone its presidential ticket to the southeast.
Bwala made the statements on Friday while speaking on Channels TV programme, Politics Today, hours after Wike briefed the press on the crisis rocking the PDP since its presidential primary election in May.
Bwala said, “The whole gamut of power zoning here or there started with Governor Wike. He virtually had everything he wanted. He brought this chairman (Ayu). When a discussion was being done in the party that power should be zoned, I recall very well, Atiku was inclined that it should be zoned to either southeast or northeast – these are the two geo-political zones that have not benefited,”
“Then, he (Wike) said if it was ever zoned to the southeast, he was not going to run. The movement then was that it should be micro-zoned to the southeast – among stakeholders from the region. He (Wike) frustrated it because he was interested.”
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He went on to say Wike’s quest to become the flag bearer of the PDP led to the departure of the LP presidential candidate Peter Obi.
“He (Wike) influenced the emergence of leaders that sat in committees – whether committees for party positions or elective office. At his behest, a recommendation was made that it should be thrown open evidently because he is not from the southeast.
“That led to the departure of Peter Obi. If the zoning thing was followed, Peter Obi or probably the former SGF (Ayim Pius) would have emerged as the presidential candidate of the party,” he added.
Bwala, however, believes that despite the wranglings in the PDP, his principal’s quest to “unify” Nigeria won’t change if elected as president.
