The Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has advised Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to stop speaking while he is under the influence of alcohol. The advice comes after Wike was reported to have said that he was drinking a 40-year-old whiskey while watching members of his own party protest against the February 25 Presidential election in Abuja.
In response, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, advised Wike to stay off alcohol as it had not only affected his voice and demeanour but also his thinking faculty. Shaibu said Wike’s vituperations and wailings had nothing to do with ensuring that the south produced the next president. He argued that Wike was just a sore loser who had gone on to deceive other members of his G5 who are now battling for political survival.
Shaibu added that Wike's complaints against Atiku had nothing to do with zoning, but rather that he was wailing because he lost the presidential ticket of the PDP in a fair contest. He accused Wike of deceiving four other governors to join his futile campaign, three of whom failed woefully at their senatorial elections.
Shaibu also revealed that Wike has not held a single meeting with his G5 members, having dumped them since their defeat. He commended the nearly 300,000 Nigerians that had signed a petition on Change.Org to demand that the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union impose a visa ban on him.
Shaibu further criticised Wike's leadership, pointing out that a drunkard is steering the wheel of governance in Rivers State. He said it was disturbing because Wike is married to a judge and that the term "as sober as a judge" could not even rub off positively on the cantankerous governor.
Shaibu argued that Wike's drunkenness had affected not only his voice and demeanour but also his thinking faculty. He noted that the protest led by Atiku Abubakar was against the stealing of the mandate of the Nigerian people, which in itself was a noble cause.
Shaibu also highlighted the fact that Wike's coarse voice was an obvious indication that he danced under the influence of alcohol, characterised by aesthetic vulgarity.
He reiterated the common rule that one should not drink and drive, and pointed out that it was unfortunate that a drunkard was steering the wheel of governance in Rivers State.