Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, shunned the delegate the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar sent to meet him in Turkey.
According to Premium Times, the former vice president sent a former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri to speak with Wike amidst the crisis rocking the party.
This is coming at a time the Rivers State Governor is spending his vacation in Turkey.
It was gathered that Atiku had plans to meet Wike to inform him of his decision to pick Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate, but Wike left Abuja the night before the announcement after sensing Atiku’s decision.
Wike has refused to speak since the former vice president decided to pick Okowa as the party’s vice presidential candidate of the main opposition party.
It was learnt that Atiku who knew that Wike was in Hilton Conrad Hotel in Istanbul on Thursday, sent Waziri to meet with him.
However, despite Wike and Waziri meeting at the lobby of the hotel, the Rivers State Governor declined to give him room to deliver Atiku’s message.
Waziri reached out to some PDP leaders in Nigeria to persuade Wike to discuss with him, but he refused.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Bola Tinubu, has denied holding a meeting between him and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in France.
Tinubu had recently flown to France in what his handlers said was a continuation of high-level engagements with stakeholders.
However, a chieftain of the party in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe had been quoted by a section of the media as confirming a meeting between the duo.
On Friday night, the Tinubu Media Office in a statement signed by Tunde Rahman said although the APC standard bearer holds Gov. Wike in high esteem, such a meeting never took place.
He said; “Asiwaju Tinubu’s supposed meeting with Governor Wike in France is Fake News”.
Part of the statement reads; “We have seen a viral social media post made by one of the chieftains of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and media reports emanating from same about a supposed meeting in France between APC Presidential Standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
“It has become imperative to set the record straight. Although Asiwaju Tinubu is presently in France, he didn’t have any meeting with Governor Wike whether in that country or anywhere whatsoever.
“This, however, does not detract from the fact that the APC presidential candidate holds Governor Wike in high esteem.
“And given the national and across-party line’s appeal of Asiwaju Tinubu’s candidature, he will not hesitate to meet any important national leader when desirable.
“As made public earlier, Asiwaju Tinubu is in France for some important engagements. He will return to the country shortly.
“We would like, once again, to advise journalists to always cross-check their information with appropriate officers before rushing to press to avoid unintended errors”, Rahman counselled.
