Nyesom Wike
2023: ‘Tell the people your preferred candidate, stop going through backdoor,’ LP challenges Wike
Labour Party (LP) has challenged the Rivers State Governor and Convener of the Group of Five (G-5) aggrieved state governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyesom Wike, to openly declare his support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, instead of ‘going through the backdoor.’
The Labour Party’s call follows viral reports claiming that the Rivers Governor was not only backing Tinubu, but has charged the entire state structure of the PDP to ensure the APC candidate wis in the February 25 presidential elections.
Wike and the G5 governors, including Samuel Ortom of Benue, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu states, had vowed to withdraw support for the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, unless the party corrects perceived anomaly of retaining a national chairman and presidential candidate all from the same region of the country.
Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Tuesday, the National Vice Chairman, South South, Labour Party, Mr Favour Reuben, while describing Wike’s actions and decisions as being informed by selfish interest, challenged him to ‘ come out and tell Rivers people that the man we are supporting is Tinubu.’
“We are hearing that our Governor (Wike), who few years back declared our state as a Christian State because he was running for election, has made a U-turn overnight and suddenly decided to form an alliance with Muslim – Muslim ticket because of his personal interest.
“The Wike we all know is not a coward that will surreptitiously ask his PDP followers to work for Tinubu of the APC without coming out openly, but if this is true, then we are in trouble and our PVCs should speak for us, being the only tool at our disposal to usher in a Government that will ameliorate our suffering, both at the State and Federal level.
“Secondly, our Governor (Wike) said APC is cancer, while PDP is malaria, so I will be expecting the Governor to look for the cure of these deadly diseases and the only cure is the Labour Party driven by Peter Gregory Obi, who has been tested and trusted in Governance.”
“As a man, we know who Wike is. He should come out and tell Rivers people that the man we are supporting is Tinubu.
“He should not take it through the back door; we want him to come out openly,” Reuben said.
The South-South Vice Chairman of LP also questioned the rationale for Wike’s support for a man, ‘whose region in the South has produced a president and is currently the Vice President of the country,’ as he further questioned the Rivers governor’s principle of equity, fairness and justice.
He, therefore, challenged Wike to ‘come out openly and tell the people his preferred presidential candidate.’
