Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says he has the capacity and energy required to serve and salvage Nigeria as its president come 2023.
He said this during a visit to leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe on Tuesday, as part of ongoing consultations ahead of the party’s presidential primary election.
The governor told stakeholders at the PDP secretariat in Gombe not to waste their votes as delegates at the party’s presidential convention on candidates who cannot win the election.
“If you want PDP to win election in 2023, I have made myself available,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri. “Give me the ticket.
“Let me go and take the power for you. We are talking about who can take this power from APC (All Progressives Congress). That person is me.”
Governor Wike asked the people to visit Rivers to see what his administration has done out of love and passion for the upliftment of the socioeconomic status of the residents.
He stressed the need to rescue Nigeria from death, saying it required men of courage who love the country to do the work.
“We need to salvage this country. Let us not pretend about it. Insecurity does not know religion. Insecurity does not know ethnicity. Poverty does not know ethnicity. Poverty does not know religion.
“The people who come to kill us, do they look at who is a Christian? Do they look at who is a Muslim? Do they know who is Hausa-Fulani? Do they know who is Igbo? We are dying.
“So, it is not for the sentiment. It is not for people to come and tell you, look, it must come from here, no, no. It is for those who have the capacity. If given the opportunity, I will replicate what I’ve done in Rivers State as President of Nigeria,” the governor declared.
He berated the APC led Federal Government for the ‘many lies’ they kept telling Nigerians concerning improving the agricultural fortune of the country.
Governor Wike said the PDP government would not lie to the people or make excuses for failure but would work to genuinely improve the life of Nigerians across the country.
“They said they have given over N300 billion for agriculture; I have no problem with that. Even if they have spent N1 trillion, where is the food?” he queried. “I don’t want people going to buy rice and doing pyramid. I want to see to it that agriculture is working.”
According to the governor, the APC leaders have accepted that their government has failed, and it sets the coast for PDP to reclaim power and the country.
He said the insistence of some public office holders to hire mercenaries to fight bandits and terrorists overrunning the country was worrisome.
“And you have a president staying there, the security chiefs are there, and somebody is saying you must bring in mercenaries. You have seen it that the government has collapsed,” said Governor Wike.
“I’m not the one who said so … but APC has admitted that their government has collapsed.”
In his remark, former Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, commended Governor Wike for visiting the state to formally acquaint PDP stakeholders of his presidential ambition.
“Power comes from God. God gives power to whom he wants. He takes power from whom he wants. We will contribute to PDP to take over power,” he said. “But at the appropriate time, whoever emerges the candidate will sit down with Gombe people and discuss.
“We will negotiate. We will not be taken for granted this time around. We will work for you, we will work for whoever emerges as the candidate of the party under our mutually agreed pact.”