Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar for the failure of the party to win the just-conlcuded presidential election.
Wike said the misfortune of the party was the direct consequence of ignoring the warnings of the G-5 Governors, who called for equity, justice and fairness before the poll.
Wike insisted that it was too early to forget that the fate that befell the PDP was avoidable if the national leadership of the party had heeded many appeals and demands for equity, fairness and justice.
Wike spoke on Monday at Okomoko Community Field while inaugurating the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Etche Local Government Area.
The Governor said it was fair that the presidency had returned to the south because the north was completing its eight years at the presidency.
He said: “Our constitution says in section 7: 3c that there shall be rotation of public offices; of appointive and elective. You took the chairmanship of the party. You took the presidential candidate slot of the party and we came to you, saying this is against the spirit of our constitution.
“Give us back the chairmanship, you said no, that you must have it all because you have won. I said be careful then, and nobody wants to remember all those things when we were shouting.”
Wike said that while others were demonstrating against the outcome of the presidential elections, he was in Rivers inaugurating projects and satisfying the developmental needs of the people.
The Governor explained that there was no time he ever criticised either the Labour Party presidential candidates, Peter Obi or the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during the campaigns.
Wike said he only chose to campaign unapologetically, to true lovers of Nigeria to vote for a southern presidential candidate in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice.
He said: “That is what we have argued for, that the north has had it for 8years, therefore the south should have it for 8 years. So, I am not here to persecute anybody.
“As far as I am concerned, anybody from the south is where I stand. That is what we agreed as integrity group that we must make sure that the south emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Governor insisted that he remained one of the apostles, who stood firm that power must rotate on the principles of equity, fairness and justice.
He told Etche people that he had no problem with anybody, who had either voted for the Labour Party or the APC because the outcome of the presidential election gave Nigeria a southern president.
He took a swipe at the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, saying he lacked the character to steer the affairs of the state.
He said: “People are terrible in politics, those who cannot stand for what they say. When I say something, you can go home and sleep, knowing that I said something.
“Look at the APC candidate (Tonye Cole), he posted on social media, congratulating Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but within one hour, he pulled it down. Is that a man? Is that character?
“I don’t understand. This is a man who all of them, both their leader, even some of them who claimed they’re in PDP, all of them in this state voted against a southern presidency.
“They voted Atiku Abubakar. The same people now turned around to say, support me (Tonye Cole), it’s only Wike that did not support Obi.
“Look at people who don’t have character, are they the ones you want as governor of Rivers State? I have character, go to anywhere, I have character. There are characters whom you cannot trust.”
(The Nation)
