Wike does not have the moral credentials to be former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election because he is abusive, says ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu.

Mr Wike was among the names shortlisted as a possible vice-presidential candidate of the PDP by the party’s committee shopping for Mr Abubakar’s running mate.

“You do not go around choosing people who will not complement you. As a governor, you chose people who complement your office,” Mr Aliyu told Channels TV regarding the Rivers governor’s feisty disposition. 

Mr Abubakar had said, upon Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as his running mate, they complemented each other, describing Mr Okowa as a “gentleman.”

“The Governor of Delta State, Okowa, and I share a lot of personality attributes in common. He is a fine gentleman but tenacious. His experience as a senator will come in handy in some of the legislative reforms that are urgently needed to reformat our governmental processes,” explained Mr Abubakar.

The public perception of Mr Wike is that he is a feisty character.

When specifically asked why Mr Wike did not complement Mr Abubakar, the former Niger governor pointed out that the Rivers governor’s verbiage was a major undoing.

“Because unfortunately, I don’t know whether (it’s) his (Mr Wike) temperament or other things. Sometimes when you speak too much when you insult yourself or insult your way to power, it does not normally happen,” Mr Aliyu explained. “I can count a number of people he (Mr Wike) insulted. People will say he is saying his mind. No, there are times you don’t say your mind.”

Before being considered a PDP vice-presidential candidate, Mr Wike had contested against Mr Abubakar to get the party’s presidential ticket, but he lost.

Mr Abubakar picked Mr Okowa as his running mate from the three-man list recommended by the PDP committee.