I can never be Atiku’s running mate – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has told Nigerians to disregard stories making the rounds that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has picked him as his running mate for the 2023 presidential elections.

The story has been circulating on several media platforms with a new twist added to it that Atiku has dumped his 2019 running mate, Peter Obi, and settled for Wike.

However, while speaking in Port Harcourt at a stakeholders’ meeting of PDP leaders, Wike said the party was yet to make a statement on zoning of its presidential ticket to any part of the country.

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“Please discountenance all those things you are hearing. The south will make a statement very soon. The day the south makes a statement Nigerian will know that we’re not joking,” Wike said.

While stressing that the South should not be seen as a second class region who are only good at producing “running mates,” he added:

“What is necessary is to make sure that the party gets it right. We are assets, we are not liabilities. If we say we are going to support the party, we will do it with everything we have.

“We are not in America where they do television campaigns; no, it’s not done here.

“When we come out, we will choke them. So, everybody should relax; let the South do their proper homework and they will make a statement that will be beneficial to Nigerians and the PDP.”