Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe against those accusing him and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, of frustrating the micro-zoning of the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to South-East.
Wike said he had always believed and supported concerted efforts towards ensuring that the presidency was zoned to the South.
He spoke at Itu Bridge Head, venue of the flag-off of the Akpabu-Odido Road in Emohua Local Government Area of the state, last Monday.
“I was one of those who led the campaign that the party’s chairmanship should go to the North because I believed the presidency should go to the South.
“I attended meetings of southern governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties from Delta to Lagos to Enugu states, where we agreed that presidency should come to the South.”
Wike insisted that while southern cross-party consultations were going on, there were people in the PDP who were bent on frustrating the eventual zoning of the party’s presidential ticket to the South.
Such people, he maintained, cannot now turn around to cast the blame on him and Ortom, to hide their scheme, thinking they could deceive Nigerians.
“I woke up this morning and read where they said, how Wike and Ortom frustrated PDP’s micro-zoning of presidential ticket to South-East. That was what the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar said.
“I keep on saying, they’ll be contradicting themselves, telling lies up and down, thinking that Nigerians don’t know. How can they say that I influenced Ortom, told him to allow them throw the ticket open?
Wike said further, “Nigerians know those who are opposed to zoning of the party’s chairmanship first.
“And when the zoning committee was set up, this time, Atiku had gone to buy form to frustrate the recommendation of the zoning committee. So that when they have bought form, they could say, oh, there is no need of zoning, will you tell people to withdraw?”
Wike said it was rather noteworthy that their gimmick was now hunting them because they were unfair to Nigerians.
“Yes, you don’t like Ortom, no problems. I know my own; you don’t like me, no problems. But I, my state gave you the highest support in 2019 both with logistics and by votes.
“You can’t deceive all Nigerians again. What I have stood for is equity, fairness and justice.
“So, saying that I and Ortom frustrated PDP micro-zoning to South-East is neither here nor there. They know that they don’t want presidency to come to the South.”
The Rivers State governor urged the presidential candidate of the PDP to leave him out of the attendant challenges he was facing in the party.
Wike, however, stated that a bad product was always difficult to sell, otherwise, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, would have recommended Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to Nigerians, having worked together with him.
But, instead of doing so, Wike noted that the former president choose to endorse another presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.
Wike insisted that if Obasanjo had refused to recommend Atiku, then something must be fundamentally wrong.
He opined that Atiku should be more concerned about that loss of confidence from his former boss, and the impact of that on his coming election.
Commenting on the road project, Wike expressed gratitude to God that the Odido community would get modern road for the first time in their history during his administration.
Wike boasted that given the overwhelming joy expressed by the Odido people, it was difficult to believe that they would cast their votes for candidates of another party except the PDP.
Providing a description of the project, Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dr Dakorinima Alabo George-Kelly said the Akpabu-Odido Road also has a 22meter-long bridge.
According to him, with the contractor already mobilised to site about two months ago, the project would be completed within agreed five months’ period.
This will in turn, he said, enable members of the community drive on paved road for the first time into their homestead, enjoy associated development, gain easy access to their farms, and improved commercial life.
In his address, the Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, said the Odido community was an island that had never seen asphalted road, and was not linked to any neighbouring community.
With the flag-off and commencement of actual construction work, Lloyd enthused that it would be the end of the ordeal Odido people usually suffer.