Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, says anybody jostling to
be president of Nigeria will also need to secure votes in Rivers to
combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious.
Such pivotal position, he said, establishes the importance of Rivers
State in the political scheme of the country, and nobody will be allowed
to undermine it.
Governor Wike made the assertion at the grand finale of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at
Ulakwo in Etche Local Government area on Thursday.
“I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has
given more votes to the party than Rivers.
“And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All
Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes in 2019 General
election. We thought them a lesson.
“In Nigeria, nobody wins presidency if you didn’t win either Rivers and
Lagos or Kano and Lagos together. Rivers is not a state anybody can joke
with. Some states went to negotiate with them. Rivers didn’t do it.”
Governor Wike took a swipe at Senator Andrew Uchendu for his uncanny
comments in the media, and wondered what courage he has to talk against
PDP administration that is ending the suffering he inflicted on his
people.
“I was watching Arise Television the other day, and I heard Senator
Andrew Uchendu and the Chief Medical Director of University of Port
Harcourt Teaching Hospital. The CMD said I asked him to indict the
former governor. I don’t know that he has such judicial power. I don’t
also know his basis.
“He (CMD) set up a target. The man was lobbying to be a Commissioner
where our former party chairman comes from without even doing due
consultation. Because I didn’t give him Commissioner, he ran and started
to abuse me.”
The governor said it was regrettable that Senator Andrew Uchendu spent
several years in the National Assembly and close to the former
administration in the State but couldn’t fix the road leading to his
village.
“I am going there to flag off the road and to tell his (Uchendu)
community, see what your son couldn’t give you. He (Uchendu) has
collected the contract from NDDC every year, he abandoned it. I am going
to shame him by doing that road.”
Speaking further, Governor Wike said the fortunes of Etche people have
improved under the PDP led administration in the state.
According to him, under his administration, Etche sons have been
appointed as Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of
Education and also as a judge.
He said his administration has established a campus of the River State
University in Etche and awarded contracts for the Igbo-Etche
-Rumuokwurushi Road, Olakwor-Nihi Road, and the Chokocho-Ozuzu Road that
was abandoned by Ogbonna Nwuke, despite being paid for the project.
Governor Wike said Etche will continue to be relevant in the political
scheme of the State and be part of the process of discussion among
stakeholders in deciding the next governor of the state.
“If I say I will do something, I will do it. Ordinarily, if Nigeria is
a place of true democracy where votes counts, no party can campaign in
this state. Their hope is to use security?
“Have you seen second tenure governor working as we are doing? It is
because of the love we have for this state. We all own this state
together. All those threats of what they’ll do in 2023 are all foul
talks.”
The governor urged the people of Etche to continue to work in unison
ahead of 2023.
Leader of PDP in Etche, Prince Emma Anyanwu said the people of the
council have no regret associating with Governor Wike.
Another chieftain of the PDP, Mr. Allwell Onyesoh, lauded the governor
for the numerous developmental projects his administration has done in
Etche