* In the presence of G5 governors
The five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aka the G5 attended the flag-off of Rivers State PDP campaign on Saturday.
At the rally, which took place at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, Wike escalated his long running war of words with the leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that neither he, nor his G5 governor allies would work for the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, at next year’s elections.
Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State) and Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State) joined their host – Wike – at the flag off of the party’s governorship campaign.
Wike made the declaration to clear any doubts of his stance ahead of the 2023 elections.
With that, any hope of Wike’s camp making up with Atiku became more remote at the rally as he declared that the PDP presidential candidate is on his own, as Rivers people would no longer dissipate their energy working for “their enemies”.
And that much was obvious as the 38,000-capacity stadium was filled to the brim without the image of the party’s presidential candidate anywhere in sight.
Wike specifically said the campaign flag-off concerned only the State’s governorship candidate, Siminialayi Fubara, and State candidates for National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.
He said: “Here in Rivers State, I will not support anybody who says that no person from another ethnic group can be President.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. Whether you are Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba or Igbo, from anywhere, you are entitled to be President of Nigeria.
“So, when you go on national television and tell anybody, ‘don’t vote for the Yoruba, don’t vote for Igbo’, you didn’t even mention where I come from.
“That means nobody identifies me; which means I come from nowhere. But God knows I come from somewhere.
“God is the one who says where you should come from. It has nothing to do with party. It has to do with my identity.
“By the grace of God, I come from somewhere and we must show I come from somewhere. I believe in party but I believe in equity, fairness and justice.
“I tell them don’t insult me and my people. You go to town hall and you tell them lies.
“I said if you believe in restructuring of Nigeria; if you believe in devolution of power; if you believe Buhari made a mistake of appointing service chiefs from one area, then I say what you should do is to correct it from the party.
“What the G5 is saying is equity, fairness and justice. The constitution of the party says we must share elective and political offices but you say you will take everything. I will not agree.”
Meanwhile, the Director General (DG) of the PDP Campaign Council in Rivers State, Felix Obuah, denied allegations that the party is sponsoring thugs to attack political opponents.
Obuah said the PDP does not have a competition in the elections that would warrant its involvement in political thuggery.
Wike treated his guests to a State banquet.