By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, has insisted that his boss, Nyesom Wike, has no regrets about supporting President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential Election as opposed to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP’s choice of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Olayinka in a statement on Sunday in Abuja insisted that Atiku lied by claiming that he picked a former Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election based on the report of the committee set up by the PDP to select its Vice Presidential candidate.
He had earlier on Saturday described as false, claims by Atiku that Okowa was the first choice of the committee.
Olayinka also added that his principal never sought to be Atiku’s running mate in the first place.
On Sunday, he said the FCT minister was never keen about being Atiku’s running mate because of the enormous baggage he (Atiku) is carrying, and he had no regret, working against him (Atiku) in the 2023 presidential election”.
He described the statement issued by the media office of the two-time PDP presidential candidate as face-saving and “an attempt to use further lies to defend Atiku’s previous lies.”
Olayinka said; “The report of the committee was released so as to set the records straight, and this has made Atiku and his men to confess that in selecting his running mate, he (Atiku) did not follow the report of the committee set up by the PDP. He simply picked who he wanted, not who the party wanted.
“By saying that ‘there were no laid down rules or laws on the selection process of a running mate. Committees, consultations, and recommendations are advisory in nature. The final decision rests solely and exclusively with the presidential candidate, in this case, Atiku Abubakar. It is a constitutional and strategic choice, not a popularity contest,’ Atiku’s Media Office has confirmed that their principal actually lied and never had any regard for the PDP as a party.
“It therefore gladdens our hearts that we have been able to establish that Atiku lied and he is not a man to be trusted. That he chose to lie during the Holy Month of Ramadan is however between him and Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala).
“As for his choice of running mate in 2019 and 2023, it is our position that Atiku, as the PDP candidate had the right to make whatever choice, and he should be able to defend his choice and be honest for once to accept the consequences, not trying to misrepresent facts to justify the choice he made.
“It is also to be reiterated that just as Atiku, the loser in the election has said he has no regret over the choice he made, Wike too has no regret over his choice.
“Therefore, no one is harbouring any personal ill-feeling against Atiku for failing with the choice he made, and no one should also harbour ill-feeling against Wike for succeeding with the choice he made.
“Also, as for us, no ego is bruised, no bitterness too. Just a clear case of us making our choice and you making your own choice. But more than two years later, you are now trying to defend your own choice of failure with lies.
“On the PDP and the task of rebuilding it, it is necessary for Atiku to first come clear as to which party he belongs now because PDP has not formed a coalition with any political party. Most importantly, his penchant for seeking to contest the presidential election under any available party has remained PDP’s major albatross.”
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