Categories: Politics

PDP on self destructive path, Wike warns

Nyesom Wike

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has said that his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is toeing a self-destructive path ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Wike insisted that a party desiring to win the crucial poll could not on its own be causing problems for itself.

The Governor, who spoke on Tuesday while inaugurating a VIP Lounge built at the Port Harcourt International Airport by his administration, said some leaders were peddling rumours and gossip about him to the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The Governor, who was accompanied by Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed, said instead of such leaders and elders of the party to return to their various States and set up strategies for the PDP to win, they were permanently in Abuja sponsoring gossip in the media against him.

“A party that wants to win an election cannot on their own be causing problems for themselves, carrying rumours when there is nothing”, he said.

Wike said it was the business of Atiku to decide whether he wanted to win the election or not and asked rumour peddlers to return to their states and work for the party.

He said: “We are busy campaigning with our projects on how our party will win election in the state, other people are busy in Abuja carrying rumours and gossip up and down.

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“We are busy here commissioning and inaugurating projects that will sell our party, others are busy every day in the newspaper talking about Wike and then they will call the candidate, ‘did you see what I have said about Wike today?’ They have no job.

“Instead of you to do something that will make your party win elections, you are only busy everyday on Wike said this. Where you heard from Wike, I do not know. Maybe in your dreams.

“You want to support the candidate but you are not at home. You are in Abuja. Come home and campaign and work for the party. Stop this Abuja politics of carrying rumours to the candidate.

“Only one person can be a Minister from the state. I will not be a Minister. I am not a liability. Rivers State is an asset. If you don’t want to win the election, it is your business I am not the one running an election. He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches him.

“So allow Rivers to keep doing what they are doing by using our projects to campaign to our people. Next few days we will be in Omagwa and Igirita to flag off the internal roads. We have done Isiokpo, we have almost finished Omarelu. We have finished Alu. These are the things we will use to tell the people see why you should vote for us.

“It is not the gossip and it is not appearing on television stations that will help you to win. It is what you have done. The report card you have”.

He said despite all the rumours, nobody had met with his camp adding that nobody should hope on only Rivers for votes.

He said: “Meanwhile nobody has met Wike’s camp if at all Wike has any camp. I am not a theoretical politician, I am a practising politician. If as a Governor I don’t stay in n Abuja, I don’t even sleep there, those people sleeping there, what are they doing there?

“Their business is to go home and talk to their people. Leave Abuja alone. You cannot be there to direct what is happening. Very soon we will know who can deliver his unit, his ward and local government and his state. But don’t think you will only hope on my own state. Everybody bring your own”.

The Governor, who was impressed with the local contractor that handled the VIP Lounge, said he had directed the Commissioner for Works to arrest some local contractors, who despite collecting 100 percent of their money, refused to complete their contracts.

He said instead of completing their projects, other local contractors would divert the money for personal use and begin to formulate excuses

Wike expressed concerns over the maintenance of the project saying instead of handing it over the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), the state would partner with the contractor to work out modalities for its maintenance.

The Nation

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