Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State, at the special dedication service for the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Rallies for the 2023 general elections at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, on Sunday, openly opposed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, for the retaining of the presidency in the north after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Wike also rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Kashim Shettima.
Governor Wike chided Atiku for standing in as presidential candidate of the PDP from the north after Buhari, but condemning the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, saying that Atiku is blowing hot and cold.
According to Wike, “You play on people’s intelligence; you say Nigeria is not ripe for Muslim-Muslim ticket, I agree. But Nigeria is ripe for presidency to remain in one zone? I mean, just look at the insult. You blow hot and cold.
“Most of you just sit there, you don’t ask yourselves questions. Somebody continues to sell this kind of cheap ideas. You don’t ask the person; I agree with what you are saying but look at what we are saying here.
“Your party wants the presidency to go to the same zone where President Muhammadu Buhari is coming from. Who is cheating who?”
Governor Wike urged the church to participate in the voting process; but should desist from partisan politics of either supporting or working against any political party or politician. He added that the church should not allow itself to be used for political war.
Governor Wike stated: “It is not now that politics have come, you want to come and tell the church a different story for your own personal interest. “We have to be careful so that the church is not destroyed. Because, all of us, for example, we are Anglicans, I will not allow anybody, for his selfish interest to destroy the church of Nigeria. I will not allow that.”
Governor Wike appealed to PDP members in Rivers State to be conscious of attempts by disgruntled and inconsequential politicians to provoke them into violence towards the 2023 general elections.
Wike maintained: “Some people are saying we sent thugs to attack them. You see, when people see failure, they will begin to plan excuses. These are people all of us know our background and how we have won election in our various local government.
“I remember one of them during the last election could not even go to his local government. He ran down to Port Harcourt and stayed with me. Instead of you to tell your principal, this will be difficult for me, you are giving excuses.
“Anybody who knows me know, that I have never been violent. If I am violent, I won’t go to court. But we know those who planted killings in this State when they were Secretary to government. We know them, but that killing will not happen again in the State. We will not give you the opportunity to try it again.”