TheCable

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says he will “not disturb” the incoming administration of Siminialayi Fubara, the state’s governor-elect.

Wike spoke at the Thanksgiving service to mark the end of his tenure as governor at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Diobu, Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Wike was elected in 2015 and won a second-term bid in 2019.

He is scheduled to hand over to Fubara on May 29.

Speaking ahead of the event, Wike said he would not interfere in the governance of the incoming government.

He advised Fubara to be wary of those hellbent on creating a rift between him and the “state’s elders”, saying if the governor-elect allows such ideas, then “enemies will catch you”.

“We will not disturb you from running your administration, but we will not allow you to make us cry. We want you to succeed more than us so that when we are passing on the road, we will raise our shoulders and say we told you that he would do better than us,” Wike said.

“You have to be firm and take decisions. Decisions you will make may not be palatable, and they shouldn’t be palatable to everybody. No one decision you will take, and everybody will be happy. People will criticise you.

“You see the way I related with our elders. You see the way we have respected Sir Dr Peter Odili. The day you run away from them, enemies will catch you. And it is the work of enemies to make sure you don’t succeed.

“You have not been inaugurated; see what they are posting that the governor-elect is quarrelling with the outgoing governor. That is to show you where they are coming from and where they are heading. But I know they will fail. You have been in the system.

“The essence of government is for us to touch and impact on the lives of our people. That is what it is. Among the chief judge and speaker, we have had a robust relationship. It has never been antagonistic. If I had a hostile assembly, we would not be where we are today.

“If I had a hostile chief judge, the same thing. But God has blessed us in such a way that we have always complimented each other and worked collectively, and that is the result we are seeing today. And I also appeal that whoever is going to be the speaker, be careful.”