Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that nobody can undermine the interest of Southern Nigeria in the decision over who flies the presidential flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.
Governor Wike made the declaration during a meeting of stakeholders of the PDP at Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday.
The governor said it was unfair for some aspirants on the platform of party to be traversing the country on consultation while at the same time declaring their interest in the race.
Governor Wike said the people of Southern Nigeria would make a bold statement at the appropriate time and make its stand known.
“Please, discountenance anything you are seeing and hearing, all those social media posts. The South will make a statement very soon. It is not about you want to be vice president to this or these people are consulting. The day the south makes a statement Nigerians will know that we are not joking.
“It is not to come out to say you are consulting, you are consulting, yet, you have declared. Is it not after consultation that you declare? You have already declared and you say you are consulting. What are you consulting again then?
“And people take the South for granted saying that they are not together. No problems. If we do not know yesterday, today we know.”
The governor asserted that Southern Nigeria, and particularly Rivers State, were enduring assets to the PDP and could not be treated with levity.
According to him, “when they make up their minds to support any person in their party of choice, everything is mobilised to achieving the intended goal.”
“We are assets. We are not liability. When we say we are going to support the party we support the party with everything we have. We are not in America where you do television campaign.
“When we come out, we will choke them. They know it. So, everybody should relax, let the south do their homework and then they will make a proper statement,” he said.
Governor Wike explained that since PDP was an opposition party, what was most tenable now was for every member to forge unity within the party, build greater team spirit and protect it from those who wanted to sow seeds of discord.
He said those who thought they could use money to overwhelm the process of internal democracy, and buy off the ticket, would be disappointed.
“What is necessary is how the party must be cohesive. To make sure that the party gets it right. Then when you threaten that it must be north then you are not trying to make peace or when you threaten you must be south you’re not trying to make peace.
“It is a matter of sitting down and understanding; look at this and that. That is the way it is supposed to be.
“Forget about Chief Dokpesi, with all due respect, people like Dokpesi are trying to destroy the party which is not good. If we follow the kind of statement that Dokpesi is making everyday by now the party would have been destroyed. But we said no,” he stated.
Speaking further, Governor Wike said it was obvious that the process was on, towards the end of his tenure and everybody needed to pray while clinging to unity, over who becomes the next governor of the state.
He asserted that the common expectation was that those who would take over the mantle of leadership would be people who were willing to build on the current standard of governance already provided.
Governor Wike stated that he would never anoint any person to succeed him but would be praying to God to give to the state that kind of person who would move the state to the next level.
“I am not anointing anybody. All I have said to God is that help me that a better person will emerge that will move this state forward.
“I urge all of you to be calm. It is still early for us to say it must be this person or that person,” he stated.
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