Rivers State Governor and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Nyesom Wike, has explained his grouse with former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, and other presidential aspirants from the North over zoning of the presidency to the South ahead of the 2023 general election.
Wike said he had always supported presidential aspirants from the North, wondering why those he supported in the 2019 elections were now aspiring to be president in 2023.
He stated this while appearing on a Channels Television current affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’, monitored in Port Harcourt, last Monday.
Wike said that he had supported Tambuwal to become Speaker of the House of Representatives and Saraki to become Senate President against all odds.
The governor also noted that only Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, from the North had personally expressed his support for his presidential bid.
When asked about his relationship with Saraki, Tambuwal and other governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike stated that the problem he had with Nigerians was that “people don’t want to tell the truth, and I feel so bad.”
Wike said, “There is nobody today contesting for president of this country from the North that I did not have a relationship with or that I did not support. There are nine of them who have not come to me to say, ‘Wike, with you, I think I will have my way.’ And I always told them, ‘I agree, but what is on the ground; what is on the table?’
“If you ask most of my friends, the problem I have with friendship is that if we agree on something, let’s keep to it. If there is any reason why that shouldn’t be done, I should be notified.”
He added, “I will tell you one. Sadly, it is with one very intelligent young man Nigerians listen to – Bukola Saraki, with all due respect. I was one of those who made sure he became a Senate President. He was in APC. I tweeted and spoke about his intelligence. Whether you hate him or you don’t like him, this young man is intelligent. Why would you not allow such a person to be at the helms of affairs? I never hid my feelings.
“My brother and friend, Tambuwal, when he wanted to be Speaker, the government and the PDP didn’t want him to be the Speaker. I was one of those who said no, we shouldn’t do that. I came out, and said, he should be Speaker. Even when he wanted to be president, I was one of those who said he was a vibrant young man, and it didn’t matter; that we should not do it by age. People were fighting me all over…in the South, in the West, in the North, in the East. They all fought me. ‘Why are you bringing Tambuwal?’ I said it was not about me bringing Tambuwal. I said I had found somebody that I thought had all it takes to lead.”
Wike stated that he had no apology to anybody for previously supporting Tambuwal and Saraki.
The governor stressed that he did not support the presidential bid of a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, adding that when Tambuwal lost to Abubakar at the primary in Port Harcourt, he gave all his support to the ex-VP.
Wike said, “I want to challenge anybody, any governor, any person in this party who would say they gave Atiku the support I gave. In fact, I can tell you that in the South-South, it was only in my state that APC never got 25per cent (votes). Atiku knows that I came all out and supported him”.
According to Wike, there was a gentleman’s agreement that power should remain in the North while it is shifted to the South in 2023.
“If there are factors that have come up, you can say, ‘look, gentleman, my brother, I think what is now is not what was available then.’ And then, we can sit down and talk about it. So, what I do not like…I feel bad when people say, ‘oh, it is not right for a Wike.’ No group can win an election without the other group. No northerner can win without the southerners.’
Recalling earlier attempt on his life, Wike said that he was nearly assassinated while working as the Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Chibuike Amaechi, in 2007.
The governor, who is aspiring for the office of the President under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also slammed President Muhammadu Buhari and those that brought him to power in 2015, describing the current system as a failure.
Wike suggested that Buhari’s alleged failure was because people came together and gave him power even when he was not ready to serve the country, insisting that it was wrong for people to get power, especially when it comes to presidential power, on a platter of gold.
“If you remember, when I was the Chief of Staff, on December3, 2007, I was nearly assassinated. I was nearly assassinated on December 3, 2007, if I can remember vividly”, Wike said.
“Even at that point, I was a threat unknown to me … I’ve never one day said I want it on a platter of gold, never! In fact, when you give people things on a platter of gold, it doesn’t work well.
“Power is not given. Nobody is going to give you presidential power on a platter of gold.
“Take for example, President Buhari, people were saying, ‘give it to him, give it to him, he’s the messiah,’ now look at what has happened….
“That period they came to deceive Nigerians that ‘this is the only man who can solve the problems, this is the only man who has the key to Nigeria becoming one of the greatest countries’, and Nigerians were deceived and we all bought it. Now, look at where we are today. They told Nigerians ‘if you don’t elect General Buhari, there’ll be no Nigeria again…”
On the questions from certain quarters about his certificates, Wike said that he has never had issues with his academic certificates.
Wike also said that he attended the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State and the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, now Rivers State University, and can mention his seat-mates while in those schools.
Hemade it clear that he attended Government Secondary School, Eneka in Obio/Akpor, before proceeding to the University of Port Harcourt where he studied Political Science, and later went to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) and studied law.
He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from RSUST before proceeding to Law School in 1997.
Wike holds a Master of Arts degree in Political and Administrative Studies also from RSUST.
The former minister of state for education and later minister of education,said “As I speak to you now, I can tell you who was my seat-mate from year one, year two, year three, year four in the University of Port Harcourt, and who was my seat-mate in the Rivers State University.
“I’ve never had any controversy concerning my certificates. The schools I attended, nobody can say, ‘let’s go and ask’.
“And as I came for my youth service, I served in the former Gongola State …So, I can tell you who my colleagues were as youth corps members,” he added.
On his position on the agitation for Biafra by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Wike said he supports the agitation by IPOBbut added that he frowns against the group’s violent approach.
Wike recalled that IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, once sang his praises.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to listen and discuss with IPOB over their agitation.
According to the presidential aspirant, “IPOB is not a threat to me, it’s because of the division in the country that we have the kind of agitation we have today.
“There was a time IPOB was singing praises of Wike, Nnamdi Kanu was singing praises about Wike that he is our son.
“There is nothing wrong in people agitating but all the Federal Government should do is listen to their agitations, talk with them; there is nothing wrong about that.
“My problem came when they came to my state and burnt infrastructure like the courts, police stations, and I told them not to do that.
“Whether anybody likes it or not, I support the agitation, I support that we should sit down and discuss the marginalization of the South-East.
“I’m a governor and I asked them, do you need to kill people in my area, destroy infrastructures put in place for you to know I’m with you? I said no; I won’t do that.”

By: Nelson Chukwudi