TheCable

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who supported zoning the party’s presidential ticket are “heroes”.

Wike spoke on Monday at a meeting with the Rivers state council of traditional rulers in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers.

In the build-up to the primary, the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had sold presidential nomination forms to aspirants, irrespective of region.

However, just before the APC presidential primary in June 2022, governors elected on the party’s platform agreed — although not a unanimous decision — that the ticket be zoned to the south.

For the Peoples Democratic Party (APC), however, Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, subsequently won the party’s presidential primary.

Speaking on Monday, Wike, who is also a PDP member, said by backing the power shift to the south, the APC governors showed that they are interested in Nigeria’s unity.

“I am not a member of APC and I will not be. But they have made me recognise that they are the heroes of this country,” he said.

“The (APC) governors came out to say ‘look, for the unity of this country, the presidency should go to the south’. The governors of APC said the way the country is, they want the unity of this country and, therefore, the presidency should go to the south.

“They could have as well said ‘no, it doesn’t matter; as governors, we have the number. We can still say it should remain where it should remain.’

“But they didn’t do that. They said the way we are seeing this country we want everybody to be together. Let no one say because I have the population, therefore, you will continue to dominate. In dominating, you need peace. Without peace, you cannot govern.”

While describing himself as an “unrepentant” member of the PDP, Wike asked the people of the state to vote for a presidential candidate that will promote unity.

“We are all Nigerians and we want the unity of this country. We want Nigeria to move forward as a united country. Rivers state has always been in support of one Nigeria and we’ll continue to support one Nigeria. But in doing that, we believe in equity, justice, and fairness,” he said.

“As the governor of this state, I will vote for the unity of this country. I will vote for anything that will unite Nigeria.

“I will not support anything that will divide Nigeria. And that is what necessitated the principle of ‘live and let live’. If only one person continues to live, things will not be good.

“It’s not about party; it is about Nigeria. I am a member of Peoples Democratic Party, an unrepentant member, who in fact, built this party when people ran away.

“In the next few months, I will be former (governor), but ‘former’ in a big way. My transition will be smooth; there will be no crisis. Don’t make the mistake to go and vote for another person. You want to distort everything we have done and then our state will go backwards. Let’s allow continuity.”