Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, stated on Monday that the state has not yet made a decision on the 2023 presidential election.
Despite the fact that the state had not yet decided how to proceed with the presidential election, he predicted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor, as well as all House of Representatives, the Senate, and the State House of Assembly candidates would triumph in the general elections of 2023.
Wike made this call at the inauguration of 319 Ward and 32 Constituency Liaison Officers, at the Government House in Port-Harcourt on Monday.
This was made known to journalists through a statement by Kelvin Ebiri, Governor Wike’s special assistant for media.
“PDP will win our state. I am not hiding it as far as the governorship, House of Reps, Senate and State Assembly are concerned. The other one (presidency), we have not decided until the right thing is done,” the Rivers governor said.
In addition, Wike attacked Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the former minister of transportation, claiming that Sekibo lacks the authority to speak on behalf of the government.
Dr. Sekibo serves as the Peoples’ Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council’s director general in Rivers State.
After joining forces with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 election, Sekibo, Sir Celestine Omehia, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, and former senator Lee Maeba, who represented the Rivers South-East district, fell out of favour with the governor.
Wike said, “I watched a video when one Dr. Abiye Sekibo, while he was addressing people in his house yesterday (Sunday), said he is the director of Atiku’s Supporters in Rivers.
“I have no problem about that. But he does not have the capacity to speak on behalf of Rivers State.
“In that video, he said that Rivers State has been having a close relationship with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that Rivers State has always benefitted from Atiku Abubakar.
“I want to correct one impression, Dr. Abiye Sekibo has a personal relationship with Alhaji Atiku, not Rivers State.
“Dr. Abiye Sekibo was Minister of Transport when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was the Vice president of Nigeria. Can you people mention one project in Okrika, I don’t even want to talk about Rivers State, in Ogu/Bolo, one project that he brought down to Rivers State. Is there anyone?”
According to Wike, effective leadership is about serving the people, defending their interests, and developing others into capable successors rather than pursuing personal glorification.
He claimed that Dr. Sekibo is one of those individuals who is never happy with the good fortune they have encountered in life; otherwise, he ought to have remained mute in the public eye regarding his shortcomings as a leader.
