PDP, not me, will decide my successor — Wike

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in the state would meet at the appropriate time and decide on his successor.

Governor Wike stated that no single person has the monopoly to decide where the governorship of the party would be zoned to.

The governor made the assertion during the grand finale of the PDP local government campaign for the April 17 council election that held at State School 1, Bori, Khana LGA on Saturday.

“I don’t want to talk about politics of who is from here and who is not from there. At the appropriate time, the PDP family will sit down, the leaders of the party will sit down and look at everything together and then take a decision, not one man and even me as a governor, can say this is where we are zoning it to,” Wike said.

“You cannot say that. It is not your father’s property. So, nobody should panic. It is not for one man who thinks he owns Rivers State. Somebody said he is going to give governorship slot to the Kalabaris, now it’s no longer to the Kalabaris, but to the riverine area.”

The Rivers governor used the occasion to reiterate that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government has failed Nigerians by not keeping to its social contract with the people of the country.

Accordingly, the governor called on Nigerians not to listen any longer to empty promises of APC politicians who made promises of ensuring that the naira and the dollar are equivalent, create jobs for the youths and contain insurgency, but failed to live up to their promises.

“Time has come when you make a promise to the people you must fulfill the promise. Time has come that we can no longer listen to empty promises of politicians like what the ruling party is doing today,’ the governor continued.

“When they came in 2015, they told Nigerians that the naira and dollar will be equal. N1 to $1. Today, what is the equivalent, N500 to $1. They said they will create jobs, today, Nigeria has the highest unemployment rate in Africa 33 percent. Why would there not be crisis?

“They said when they come they will make sure insurgency is stopped, see what we are passing through today in this country. Everyday, killing upon killing. So, they have failed us.”

The governor said that there are no local government areas in the state that the PDP has not had an impact.

Governor Wike explained that when he was campaigning for the office of Governor of Rivers State, he promised to dualise the Saakpenwa-Bori road.

He stated that he has not only kept the promise, his administration has further awarded contract for the second phase of the road which starts from Bori to Kono.

“I have told you again that we are going to dualise from Bori to Kono. That has been awarded and it is not just to award it, the money is there. Every month, N1 billion will be given to the contractor. So, the contractor has no business to say that there is no money. And it must be completed in 14 months.

“So, PDP can go to any local government and we can identify one thing or two that we have done for the people. There is no local government in this state that can say that PDP has not made impact.”

The governor urged the people of Khana to remain focused, steadfast and shun those bragging to use security to manipulate the 2023 elections in the state.

All these bragging of using security, Nigeria is quite aware now. With the consciousness of Nigerians, it will be difficult now for you to use security agencies to manipulate election. Now, SARS is no more. Is SARS not gone? You think the Army will come again after all what they have seen,’ the governor stated.

He urged the PDP chairmanship candidate of Khana Local Government Area, Dr Bariere Thomas, to ensure that he delivers democratic dividends to the people of the area as well as ensure that he resides at the council to govern the people.

The governor further advised him not to balkanise the party with his position, but to ensure the unity of the party.

He called on the people to come out enmasse and vote for all PDP candidates on April 17.

“It is not the people of Port Harcourt that will vote for you. It is the people of Khana. Stay in your local government and govern the people. We want to decongest Port Harcourt and part of the way for us to do that is for you to stay in Bori and govern the people that voted for you.

“Again, now that you are going to be chairman, don’t spilt the political family. Allow the political family to be together. I don’t want anybody to divide the political family in any of the local governments.”

In his goodwill message, Senator Lee Maeba noted the developmental strides of Governor Wike in Ogoniland, saying he needs promotion and also urged the PDP chairmanship candidate to unify the party.

The senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, Barry Mpigi, said the people of Ogoni were satisfied with the development put in place by Governor Wike in Khana and the entire Ogoni.

Also speaking, the House of Representatives member, representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Dumnamene Dekor, said he was a living testimony of the developmental strides of the Governor in Khana.

In his remarks, the PDP chairmanship candidate for Khana Local Government Area, Dr. Bariere Thomas, promised to tackle the issue of insecurity, cultism, and establishment of ICT centres in the 19 wards of the LGA.

High point of the campaign was the defection of former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr Befii Charles Nwile, and his supporters from the APC to PDP.

They were received by the State Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor. (The Sun)