Former governor of Jigawa, Sule Lamido, has described Rivers governor Nyesom Wike as a “forceful” person who should be saved from his own anger.

“Governor Wike is somebody who is very forceful, who has done so well as a governor of PDP in his own state and who has been very supportive of the PDP. But again, he was made by the PDP. He is somebody we must make sure we preserve and we must rescue him from his own anger,” said Lamido.

Mr Lamido, who spoke with Vanguard Newspaper on Wednesday, said Mr Wike has done well for the PDP and is fit to be Nigeria’s president after Atiku Abubakar.

“Wike is a huge treasure for the PDP and one of the best materials. If we win (in 2023), he is the natural heir to the throne because he has the quality, the aura, the charm, the charisma and the age. I have been saying this: PDP is a family. There was a primary election and there were expectations but some of them were not met. So, it is natural for one to react. I can understand that,” Mr Lamido said.

Mr Lamido’s statement comes in the wake of a crisis rocking the party after the Presidential primaries held earlier in the month.

Mr Wike, who came second to former Vice president Atiku Abubakar in a hotly contested primary election, was considered and recommended as strong vice presidential candidate to Mr Atiku by a panel set up by the party. However, Mr Atiku opted for Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, ignoring Mr Wike. 

The Rivers State governor has since distanced himself from Mr Atiku and his presidential campaign while holding closed-door meetings with opposition figures.

This has fuelled talks decampment by Mr Wike though he had reiterated that he remained committed to the party irrespective of the outcome of the primary.