The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has expressed disgust over what he termed the lies the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 polls, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, allegedly told against him in a television interview.
Wike spoke with newsmen on Friday at the international wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
Wike also said none of the chieftains of the PDP, including Abubakar and the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, had reached out to him since the party’s presidential primaries, which he lost to the former Vice President, was conducted.
He pointed to how Abubakar used the occasion of the unveiling of the PDP vice presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and his appearance on a national television to lie against him.
He said: “But, there comes a time that people will understand and know the true facts.
“So, obviously, whether I will speak is not in doubt, to let Nigerians know the actual truth.
“Having known the truth, whatever they decide to do with it is left for Nigerians.
“Because, you can imagine, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, when he unveiled vice presidential candidate, no right thinking lover of this party would say that the speech he made on that day was fair.
“Forget about the favour-seekers.
“Forget about the scavengers.
“But I never reacted to it.
“That is because this party belongs to all of us.
“Thereafter, he appeared on Arise Television, see the statement he made.
“So many lies were told and you said I should not react to some of those issues?
“That would not be fair.
“Assuming today, I’m not alive, obviously what they have said would be accepted as the truth.
“Look at his (Atiku) attack dogs: Sule Lamido, Babaginda Aliyu, Maina Waziri.
“Look at the statements they issued.
“Look at the abuses they rained on me, but I never reacted.
“And Nigerians will ask: you mean these things happened?
“So, it is important that as a person and for my own future, and for those who rally around me to say, look, this is not fair.
“So, I will make sure that I will react to them, line by line of the statements made by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar himself and his attack dogs.
“Look at it, a presidential candidate who believes that he wants to win election, and somebody who contested fiercely with him that has never raised any issue.
“I just kept quiet, just minded my business, to see how my state can move forward.
“But everyday, his people come up to attack me, to say one thing or the other.
“That’s quite unfair and so I should let Nigerians know at the appropriate time, that will be after the commissioning of projects that we have lined up.
“He admitted that Senator Bukola Saraki met with him in Spain, but said the former Senate president was not sent by anybody.”