Tinubu offered me senatorial ticket under APC – Wike

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has revealed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, offered him a senatorial ticket in a bid to woo him to the ruling party.

The former presidential aspirant made the claim on Friday in an ongoing media parley holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers, adding that he turned down the offer.

Wike said Tinubu offered him the ticket after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, failed to fulfill his promise after he emerged as the opposition party’s flagbearer.

The governor added that he not only rejecte the offer, but insisted that he would remain in the PDP despite his grievances.

According to him, some other persons were also approached with similar offers and they acquiesed but he noted that he never contested the primary to settle for a vice-presidential or senatorial ticket.

He said; “I didn’t contest so I can become a vice presidential candidate, I am not like others who were not serious and bought senatorial form alongside presidential form and that’s why when Tinubu offered me senate slot, I didn’t go for it.’’

In the same parley, the governor also said that National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu threatened to resign if he (Wike) won the presidential primary election. .

He said Ayu also asked other hopefuls to withdraw for Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president.

“There was nothing Ayu didn’t do. Manipulation of delegates list. A whole national chairman threatened some of the presidential aspirants at that time that if Wike wins, he was going to resign. In fact, he was calling aspirants to withdraw for Atiku Abubakar,” he said.