A key member of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign
council, John Gaul Lebo, has said that Gov Nyesome Wike of Rivers State is
backing the governorship candidacy of Prof Sandy Onor in Cross River State and
that of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for two major reasons.
He argued that Wike is not performing anti-PDP activities by
publicly donating to Sanwo-Olu’s campaign fund.
Lebo was a guest on Let’s Talk Nigeria, a flagship discussion
programme on Sparkling FM radio Calabar on Monday morning.
He said Sanwo-Olu, an All Progressives Congress (APC)
governorship candidate in Lagos, has been Wike’s longtime friend beyond
politics, arguing that Wike likes to sustain friendships.
“This is also the reason he is hellbent on bankrolling Sandy
Onor who is of his own PDP. Sandy Onor was chairman of Etung LGA at the same
time when Wike was chairman of a LGA in Rivers State. Both have been friends
for a long time.
“Wike is also supporting PDP in Cross River State because he
is duty bound to ensure that PDP regains the state next.”
He debunked the notion spread by APC stakeholders in the
state that Wike wants to take over the state by his support.
It would be recalled that two weeks ago, Wike again extended
hefty financial support to leaders of the party when they called on him at his
private residence. He also sent 25 buses for their political campaigns.
According to Lebo, who is a former Speaker of Cross River
State House of Assembly, the ongoing crisis bedeviling the party as a result of
Wike’s call for resignation of national chairman of the PDP for a southerner
was a normal and expected political brickbat which is necessary at these times.
He disagreed that the lingering bitter issues which tend to
polarise the party and which have forced Wike to stay away from Atiku’s
campaign activities, could affect its political fortunes or force out some
governors who are sympathetic to Wike.
The former speaker further disagreed that the PDP
Presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku was playing tribal card
when he spoke last week in Kano, urging electorate not to vote for southern
candidates.
“He was speaking to his kinsmen even though he did not speak
in his native language in order to arrest their interest in him which is
natural and which any other candidate would do in order not to lose votes from
his ‘home’..
“Atiku wass merely marketing himself within his brother
ecosystem. We all know that political victory is necessarily determined on
regional power system.”
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