Wike, Ortom, Others Seeking Protection Against Trial – Atiku

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, yesterday said the group of former PDP governors  popularly called G-5 governors were seeking relevance, appointments, and protection against prosecution.

He added that their decision not to support him had nothing to do with patriotism, and that Nigerians should not be deceived by them.

Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, Mr Phrank Shaibu, who stated this in a statement yesterday also said the former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, was spot in describing former Governor Nyesom Wike as “an average mad man.”

Shaibu said this in reaction to Fayose’s interview on Channels Television, wherein he stated, “Wike is an articulate capacity person. Nigeria needs an average mad person.”

Atiku added that the “G-5 governors were only seeking relevance, appointments, and protection from prosecution”,  adding that their “decision not to support Atiku had nothing to do with patriotism, and Nigerians should not be deceived.”

He added, “Ortom was one of the worst governors in the history of Nigeria. His case file at the EFCC is bulky, and he was recently invited but released because of Wike’s intervention.

“Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia State, also performed woefully in office. His successor has been complaining almost on a daily basis. But the EFCC will not prosecute him because of the G-5 connection. This is what they have turned the country into. No wonder they believe Nigeria needs an average mad person.”

Atiku said Fayose should have been man enough to publicly campaign for Bola Tinubu during the run-up to the presidential election instead of coming out now.

He added that Fayose was only running from pillar to post in order to get Tinubu to discontinue his N1.7bn corruption case at the Federal High Court.

Shaibu said, “On September 20, 2022, Fayose, while addressing supporters in Ado Ekiti publicly stated that he would be supporting Waziri Atiku Abubakar despite Wike’s protests. A simple Google search will confirm this.

“Then after Tinubu’s dubious victory, Fayose quickly changed gears, stating that he was the one who delivered Ekiti State to the APC. This is his stock in trade. He is a lily-livered rabble-rouser who loves to be in the spotlight and pretends to be more popular than he really is.

“This is the deception of the man. Aware of the fact that he cannot get a ministerial appointment because of people like Kayode Fayemi, Dele Alake and Dayo Adeyeye who are jostling for the Ekiti slot, Fayose is now running from pillar to post, trying to get an appointment for his son while also trying to get the government to withdraw his corruption case from court.

“With the weight of evidence presented by the EFCC and its star witness, Senator Musilu Obanikoro, Fayose is now desperately trying to get the case compromised or withdrawn. Nigerians should not be deceived by his antics.”