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By Emmanuel Adeleke
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has ruled out the possibility of him and his colleagues reaching a last-minute deal the with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
The governor, during a media chat in Port Harcourt, on Thursday, said the timeframe for resolving the grievances of the G5 governors is over, adding that he is not ready to sit down with anybody again.
“No, we can’t do that; it’s over! We have said it and there is nothing anybody can do about it now.
“They believe they can win the election. I am not ready to sit down with anybody again,” Wike said.
He said he has informed the residents of Rivers State of his preferred presidential candidate and that the people are ready to vote for the individual.
The governor, however, did not mention the name of the candidate.
A group of five governors, known as G5, has been at loggerheads with the leadership of the PDP.
Wike and his allies, including Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom; Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, have excluded themselves from the party’s presidential campaign over the refusal of Dr Iyorchia Ayu to step down as the national chairman.
In the past few months, several attempts at reconciliation have failed to yield desired results by some party stakeholders.
The presidential election is billed to hold on Saturday, February 25.