Anyim said, “I want to state clearly for Gov Wike’s recollection that I did not and never shared any view with him on any candidate in 2019.”
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Senate President Anyim Pius has denied an allegation by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike that he (Anyim) was not in support of Peter Obi as the PDP’S vice-presidential candidate in 2019.
Anyim said in a statement made available to TheNiche on Thursday that he never shared his opinion on any PDP candidate in 2019 with Wike, urging the governor to re-think the events that played out in 2019 as per Obi’s emergence as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
He said, “My attention has been drawn to a statement by Gov. Wike during his media chat of 22nd of March, 2023. In a response to a claim that he came after Gov. Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election, Gov. Wike recounted how he made it possible for Gov. Peter Obi to be PDP vice-presidential candidate in 2019 and that Gov. Peter obi was not appreciative.
“In Gov. Wike’s words, ‘I was fought by people like Ike Ekweremadu, Gov. Dave Umahi and Anyim Pius.’”
Anyim said he would have ignored Wike’s statement, hoping he was not the one referred to by the Rivers governor. He added that he decided to respond when he read it on page 26 of Daily Sun newspaper of March 23, 2023.
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He said, “It is my wish for Governor Wike to refresh his memory, re-collect and re-confirm the following:
“That the PDP presidential primaries of 2019 held in Port Harcourt and I did not attend.
“That after Gov. Peter Obi’s nomination as running mate raised some dust in the South East, PDP governors and party leaders from the South East met on the matter in Sen. Ekweremadu’s home in Enugu. I was not at that meeting.
“Thereafter, the presidential candidate, H/E Alhaji Atiku Abubakar held a town hall meeting with PDP leaders from the South East at Nike Lake Hotel Enugu. I did not also attend that meeting.”
Anyim added, “I want to state clearly for Gov Wike’s re-collection that I did not and never shared any view with him on any candidate in 2019; neither his own candidate, who then was Gov. Aminu Tambuwal nor H/E Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who won the primaries, talk less of Gov. Peter Obi. I did not know how Gov. Peter Obi emerged as PDP vice-presidential candidate and I never cared to ask but maintained a stand that the reaction that followed his nomination would also have happened to any other person from the South East.”
Anyim, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, urged Wike to confirm from Obi if he enjoyed his encouragement and support.