The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has urged his state that he has not accepted to run as mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential race.
Wike further declared that nobody can undermine the interest of the people of the Southern part of Nigeria in the decision over who flies the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike spoke yesterday during a meeting of stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State at Government House in Port Harcourt.
He noted that he was not moving to be Vice president to anybody, frowning at those who claim that they are traversing the country on consultation with stakeholders over their interest in the race, but are actually declaring their ambition inadvertently.
Wike said the people of Southern Nigeria will make a bold statement at the appropriate time and Nigerians will know where they stand.
He said: “Please, discountenance anything you’re seeing and hearing, all those social media posts. The South will make a statement very soon. It is not about who’ll 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’s not to come out to say you’re consulting. You’re consulting, yet, you’ve declared. Is it not after a consultation that you declare? You’ve already declared and you say you’re consulting. What are you consulting again then?
“And people take the South for granted saying that they are not together. No problems. If we don’t know yesterday, today we know.”
The governor said that Southern Nigeria, and particularly Rivers State, is an enduring asset to the PDP and cannot 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 achieve the intended goal.
“We are assets. We are not liable. 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 campaigns.
“When we come out, we will choke them. They know it. So, everybody should relax, let the south do their homework and then they’ll make a proper statement.”
Wike further explained that since PDP is an opposition party, what is most tenable now is for every member to forge unity within the party, build greater team spirit and protect it from those who want to sow seeds of discord
