By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
The posters and photographs of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, were missing on the party’s branded vehicles as the Rivers State chapter of the party kicked off its campaign on Monday.
The absence of the candidate’s photographs on the branded vehicles which were rolled out for the campaign on Monday and the absence of his posters at the party campaign council secretariat, located along Woji Road in GRA, Port Harcourt, is a clear indication that the crisis within the party is yet to abate.
While speaking during the flag-off, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said he would not campaign for Atiku because, according to him, he (Atiku) appointed enemies of the state into his campaign council.
The governor stressed that the photos of Atiku and those of the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, have been missing from the state’s PDP campaign materials because they don’t want him to campaign for the party at the national level.
Wike said the PDP candidate picked those he wants to work with in Rivers, saying, “if he wants us to work with him, if he wants us to campaign for us, he would have talked to us.”
“Some people have asked me why they haven’t seen the presidential candidate’s picture and the picture of the party’s chairman. I said what are you talking about? The presidential candidate entered my state and picked members of the presidential council without a whole governor of a state having a contribution.
“They said they don’t want us to campaign for them. If anyone wants us to campaign for them they will come and meet us. The presidential candidate has chosen enemies of the state as members of his campaign council, even me, the governor of the state did not have any input.
“If anybody does not accommodate the interest of Rivers state, we will also not have their interest at heart. I have never seen how people will disrespect a state like Rivers State and go and choose those who are enemies of the state without our contributions,” he said.
Speaking on who he and his team will campaign for in the forthcoming election, Wike said they will only campaign for the party’s governorship candidate, the senatorial candidates, and others who carried them along.
“If they want us to be involved in the campaign, they will come and tell us. If he (Atiku) thinks we are important, they will come and meet us,” the governor maintained, adding that nobody can intimidate Rivers when he is still governor of the state.
The state campaign council, has former state PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, as director-general while Governor Wike is the chairman.
Recall that Wike, along with other governors including Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has demanded that Ayu should resign and his replacement should come from the South before they support Atiku’s campaign.