Austin Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has reflected on his past political association with former Governor Nyesom Wike, revealing that they had worked together in the past. He noted that he had served as the chairman of Wike’s inauguration committee in both 2015 and 2019 and had even acted as his agent during the presidential primary where he lost to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
However, he explained that their political paths diverged when Wike chose not to support PDP candidates, whereas he and others remained loyal to the party. He highlighted the cause of their disagreement, stating that Wike’s refusal to support the party stemmed from his own personal losses in the primaries and his failed bid to become Atiku’s running mate.
He said in an interview with Channels TV from 12:26, “Clearly, I’m a PDP member, and I stand with Governor Sim Fubara in Rivers State, and I stand with the people of Rivers State. And I say so without mincing words. I was with the former Governor, Nyesom Wike, but let me even enlighten you and the listeners a little more. In 2015, I was the chairman of his inauguration committee. In 2019, I was the chairman of his inauguration committee.
I was his agent at the presidential primary, where he was thoroughly defeated by Atiku. Yes, we were political associates, but now we are no longer together. The point of disagreement was that he decided to leave and not support the PDP candidates, and we said no, that we are loyal PDP members, we will support PDP all the way. And so we worked for Atiku and supported Sim Fubara for the governorship election. But that was the point of disagreement, where on his own, he clearly felt he couldn’t support the party because he lost the primaries for the presidency, and he lost the bid to become Atiku’s running mate.”