Ogbonna Nwuke, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and an ally of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, has criticised a spokesperson of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Dino Melaye, for arrogating the powers Atiku Abubakar “doesn’t have” to the presidential candidate.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Nwuke was reacting to Melaye’s statement on the future of the aggrieved governors. Melaye had warned Governor Wike and his loyalists that ‘unfairly’ antagonising Atiku will ‘cost them their political future’.
Nwuke, a former House of Representatives member who is the Chairman of the Publicity and Communications Committee of the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council, said the G5 governors – Wike, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) – could decide who to support for the Aso Rock job.
“Except to say that malice may need to be proven by those who say any decision taken that does not support Atiku or any candidate for that matter is something to be seen as anti-party, then, I think it will be proper to wait, go slowly and try to appreciate that position when they take that position.
“The rest will fall within the realms of speculation if we were to go on without clearly seeing what action they take and how they take them,” Nwuke said.
Furthermore, Nwuke stated that Melaye should be concerned about more fundamental issues.
“Perhaps from Dino Melaye’s perspective, Atiku will then be God. Atiku is not God. He can be Dino’s God, but he cannot be God to others; in this case, the governors.
“So, I don’t know how one can arrogate to an individual such extensive qualities.
“We are talking about a presidential candidate rising to the occasion, being able to sell himself.
“I think people like Dino should not arrogate to the candidate (Atiku) the powers that he doesn’t have,” the former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications said.
He added: “In a couple of days from now, it is obvious that the G5 will manifestly say what they want to do. I can assure you that, that will happen.”
