PDP Presidential Primary: Gov Wike Tags Peter Obi Daydreamer
- Says former aspirant remains complete outsider
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has mocked former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi as a daydreamer thinking that winning the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections was a possibility for him.
He said even if the former presidential aspirant had remained in the country’s main opposition party, he stood no chance of excelling at the party’s primaries being a complete outsider from the onset.
Clearly sarcastic in his comments, Governor Wike, who dwelled on integrity and character, wondered how Peter Obi would have won the PDP primaries given that he has not been able to win any single election since abandoning his former party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
“Integrity is very important in what you’re doing. There must be integrity. There must be a character, and I’ve told all delegates that they must be very careful”, he said.
The Rivers State Chief Executive, who spoke on Channels TV political programme, Politics Today, on Thursday, noted that it presents an interesting development for Obi to call it quit just three days before the PDP’s primaries, saying; “What is he seeing that he did not see for how many years ago, 72 hours to the election, it’s now he’s seeing.
“A Vice presidential candidate for the 2019 election. Someone can be the presidential candidate and still abandon their party and mess up. Who are those people that made PDP lose the election? Can you trust them if you give them a ticket?
“It will not be funny to do something that will finish PDP. When we talk about character, it’s an issue. You can be the best economist, but without character, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Governor Wike, who maintained that Obi’s decision to leave the PDP was not surprising to him, further said; “Peter Obi leaving the party is not surprising to me and I know he knows no way he would have won the presidential primaries. Forget about what his DG is saying about money.
“Those of us that joined this party since 1998, we’ve never left the party. If it’s this party, it’s in our blood. It doesn’t matter what problems we have in the party, we have to be inside it to settle the problems.”
Tackling the 2019 PDP Vice Presidential candidate further, Governor Wike said the recent meeting with the former governor of Kano and leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankaso, is also quite surprising except Obi has plans to serve as senator Kwankwaso’s running mate come 2023 presidential polls.
