BBC Pidgin of Thursday, 12 January 2023

Source: BBC

Exclusive: 'My anger wit Atiku and why Ayu must go' - Wike

Rivers state Govnor Nyesom Wike Rivers state Govnor Nyesom Wike

Rivers state Govnor Nyesom Wike say di window of opportunity for Nigeria opposition party di People's Democratic Party (PDP) dey very small and go soon close.

Wike tok for inside exclusive interview with BBC Pidgin as e dey address im kwanta wit im party, PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and im party since afta dia primaries for 2022.

According di South South govnor im choice for who e go give im support for di 2023 presidential election na sometin wey go dey clear to evri body “at di right time.”

"Why are you in a hurry," E ask wen BBC Pidgin ask am who e go support for 2023.

"Calm down, we all be politicians, we get our own political strategies, who tell you say in 24 hours notin fit happun for politics?, di govnor ask.

E say “you see, I no dey work as an individual, if you know wetin dem dey call guerilla warfare, different strategies dey, different ways of going to war dey, wetin you see today no be wetin you go see tomorrow. Watch wetin go happun."

"You go know, e no dey hidden, I no dey run, you suppose know me very well, strategies dey in evri tin.

“But di point I dey try tell you be say make PDP get dia opportunity, time dey come wen di door go close and notin, even if di heaven go come down, make we see am happun." E tok.

'I no be bad loser'

Wike kontinu to dey express im dissatisfaction since afta di PDP primaries wey see Atiku win di presidential ticket say dem no follow due process.

E say critics wey dey call am a "sore loser" becos of dat - dem dey make mistake.

"If dat conspiracy no dey during di dying minute, di candidate know say problem dey, and I say if I dey angry to dat extent I for challenge am but I want di survival of di party, I allow am den oda tins come up.

"Di issue of zoning bin dey important, wen we meet, most of us raise di issue of zoning, wey dey provided in di constitution of di party.

“Dem set up committee and agree say make di national chairman go to di north, wen e reach di presidential ticket mata, dem set up committee but to tell you say dem no dey sincere, di committee never come up with resolution and dem go buy forms, wetin be di im plication?

“Which zoning you dey tok about. Dem do am deliberately and di mastermind na di so called presidential candidate today.

“Wen dat one happun, di national chairman on im own wey know say dis don be di tradition of di party, come up to say if di presidential candidate come out from my zone I go resign. Now e don happun, now fulfil di promise you make, oh no." E tok.

Wike accuse Atiku of being di mastermind wey no make di zoning to di south for presidency work out for di party becos according to am, "e believe say if e no become president now e no go become president so to am dis na im last chance so e do everytin to do to make sure."

'Me and Atiku no meet five times'

Atiku bin don tok for one recent interview say e don meet wit Wike at least "five times" both home and abroad and issue no dey on im part, but Wike say di fact be say e no happun like dat.

"Wit all due respect, wen you say pesin tell lies e go be like say pesin dey say elder dey tell lies, wetin e tok no dey correct.

"Di only time I see Atiku afta di primaries for my house na for Abuja, on Saturday afta di primaries leading to Sunday, e come my house for Abuja I bin dey return to Abuja.

"We enta my office for my house for Abuja and e say can we tok? You see my anger be say, I discuss wit you, I respect you, you tell me sometin but unknown to me, you no dey sincere about am.

“Di worse be say you tok am voluntarily. Wen we siddon e say e tink say Ayu get to go becos no be tradition say chairman and presidential candidate go come from di same zone. So dat na di only time Atiku come see me afta di primaries on Monday." e tok.

E add say oda times dem meet na oda pipo arrange and invite dem.

"Di govnor of Adamawa state tell us, my colleagues wey we believe di same tin say im oga - Atiku wan tok to us. We agree and we go im hotel for London.

“Wetin be di issue, we say no big deal, you don win, we no dey tok about presidential candidate again, can we follow di tradition of our party and make di national chairman comply and fulfil im promise e make, e tell us for di meeting say yes e confront di national chairman and di national chairman say e say so, I say if you don hold di meeting, wetin be di hold-up?

“We agree for dat meeting and we say make we meet again, as far as Ayu go go, now na di modalities.

“E say make we give am one week and e go call us back, tinking say afta dat one week e go call us back, we be govnors for christ sake for Christ sake we no be houseboys.

“We wait dat one week, e no call us wetin we hear next na say e make statement say sake of constitutional challenge, Ayu no fit go.”

“What? Dis na somebody we siddon wit and agree on sometin, ask im govnor, Umar Fintiri, ask am." Wike tok.

'Ayu must go'

Wike dey part of a group of govmors wey call demsefs di G5 - Integrity govnors for di party wey dey lead di call say make di national chairman of di party Iyorchia Ayu go.

Dat according to di Rivers state govnor and di call for justice and equity na dia main goal.

Wike again tok say im no go leave di party but fight to get peace.

"We no dey like dem, we no fit leave our house for armed robbers. Dis na di house we build we no fit leave am for who? Peace must come. We go stay inside dis house and fight.

"Equity, fairness and justice, na wetin our party dey tok about an na wetin we dey tell Nigerians.

Let di national party chairman resign and allow di South to take am we never ever tell am one day say we want any oda tin." Wike tok.