Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Monday said he could have scuttled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary on Saturday night but that he allowed peace to reign.
The primary was held to elect the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general election.
“If I wanted to scuttle the convention, I would have done that and I told them. There are people you think they are human beings but they are not human beings,” he said.
Mr Wike said this at a ceremony organised in Port Harcourt to welcome him from Abuja after the party’s presidential primary where he was floored by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“I have never seen how people can violate procedures and guidelines. Somebody had spoken, it is only at that point he was speaking that he can say I have withdrawn. You don’t call him back,” the Rivers governor said, apparently referring to the Sokoto State Governor and fellow presidential aspirant Aminu Tambuwal, who withdrew from the race and asked his supporters to vote for Mr Abubakar.
“I just decided that this our party must not be destroyed. I would have left where I was sitting down and say this convention cannot go ahead except you allow me to talk. I would have flattened him”.
Governor Wike vented his anger on the party leaders for allowing the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to speak for a second time after exhausting the time allotted for each aspirant to address the delegate.
Mr Tambuwal, while addressing the delegates the second time, announced his withdrawal from the race and directed his delegates to vote for Mr Abubakar.
The development, Mr Wike said, violated the convention’s “procedures and guidelines.”
Political analysts believe Mr Wike could probably have scored more votes if not for the last-minute withdrawal of Mr Tambuwal, from the primary.
In a video that captured his visit to the Sokoto governor, the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, could be heard hailing Mr Tambuwal as “hero of the convention”.
Mr Abubakar, 75, polled 371 votes to clinch the party presidential ticket, while Governor Wike came second with 237 votes.
Bukola Saraki, a former president of the Nigerian Senate, came third with 70 votes, while Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, came fourth with 38 votes.
Mr Wike, despite his remarks, has declared political support for Mr Abubakar and the PDP for the 2023 elections.
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