Politics
Peterside accuses Wike of ‘wasting N30 billion on delegates’
Adebayo Obajemu
Dakuku Peterside, former director general of NIMASA has accused Nyesome Wike of wasting N39 billion on the PDP presidential primary.
But in a swift reaction, spokesperson to Mr Wike says the former director general of NIMASA was still bitter with the governor for defeating him in the 2015 governorship election.
Mr Peterside said Governor Wike donated “about N10 billion of public funds in unsolicited charity to states, and about N20 billion pursuing his ill-fated presidential bid”.
The former member of the House of Representatives stated that Governor Wike lavished billions of state funds on delegates, while Rivers pensioners were “going to bed hungry, with some not waking up due to frustration”.
Mr Peterside said this on Sunday in his congratulatory message to Atiku Abubakar, who won the PDP presidential primary held on Saturday, with 371 votes.
Mr Peterside described Governor Wike as a “local champion” rejected by the party delegates.
He blamed Mr Wike’s failure to win the primary on lack of “requisite experience” in national politics and urged the governor to “shades off his toga of pride” and submit to Mr Abubakar for tutelage.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State
Mr Wike, 59, came second in the primary, with 237 votes.
A former president of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki came third with 70 votes, while Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel came fourth with 38 votes.
‘Spurious allegations’
Kelvin Ebiri, the spokesperson for Mr Wike dismissed the allegations as “spurious and baseless.”
“Mr Peterside is speaking out of bitterness. Governor Wike defeated him in 2015 and he has not recovered from that experience. His governorship ambition has been thwarted twice by his principal,” apparently referring to the All Progressive Congress presidential aspirant, Rotimi Amaechi.
Mr Peterside and Governor Wike both served as commissioner for works and chief of staff respectively when Mr Amaechi was the governor of Rivers State.
