Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says votes of the electorate will count in the 2023 general elections.
He stressed that the days were gone when people ride on the confidence that because they are from a majority tribe, they will always win the election.
Governor Wike spoke at the inauguration of the Nkpolu-Oroworukwo flyover, the 9th so far constructed and completed by his administration. Peter Obi, the labour party presidential candidate performed the inauguration in Mile two Diobu, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The Rivers State governor observed that there are so many people who had left the office for years and have gathered around a political actor in their desperation to force themselves back to power
“All they want to do is let us get the opportunity to come back to power. Nigerians, we must open our eyes. You (politicians) must sell yourself; this is me. You must not sell yourself because you belong to a major ethnic group. Every vote in this country will count.
“Time is over when anybody thinks that you can win the election because you’re from so and so place. Nigeria has passed that stage.
We want a Nigeria where all of us believe that we are from here. We want a Nigeria where I have hope that I can become anything tomorrow, not because I came from a small place.”
Governor Wike also spoke, referring to assurances some political actors made during a town hall meeting where they agreed to implement the restructuring of the country.
The political actors, governor Wike noted also condemned the situation where all the service chiefs are people from one section of the country.
The governor wondered why they waited for over seven years, until this political season, to begin to speak out against such sessional appointments of service chiefs.
“Some people come to tell me to support so and so persons and I ask them do you know him? When I hear people go to town hall meetings and they say all kinds of things they say.
They will make sure that every zone will have a member of the security council. it is not good for one zone to produce all the security chiefs. You see that, but it is good for one zone to occupy all party positions. Do you see how Nigerians are? You see how we are?”
Wike also, mocked persons in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are calling for his dismissal. According to him, those clamoring for his dismissal ironically left, the party, frustrated its electoral chances, and made it lose the 2015 election.
“Those who are threatening me are the ones who destroyed PDP and made us lose the election in 2015. I stood firm in this party when this partitas to die. Peter Obi, you were there at the party then.
“I was the one with my friends who supported this party. Those who left the party are the ones coming to tell me that I want to scatter the party when you(they) have scattered the party and made us lose the election in 2015. Now we are in opposition. Who put us in opposition?”
Governor Wike said that everybody knows him and that he is not a conman, wants a straightforward politician who wants the best for Nigeria.
The Rivers State governor commended his guest, Peter Obi for leaving the PDP and the frustrations meted at him to pursue his political ambition.
Governor Wike, however, restated his resolve to remain in the PDP, and vampires fight those, he described as a vampire, armed robbers, and scavengers.
“I will not leave. I will stay here, I will fight the vampires, I will fight hyaenas, I will fight the scavengers. I will not leave this house or ever allow armed robbers to take over my house. I am going to stay to chase away the armed robbers.”
The governor called on all orders political parties to obey Executive Orders 22 and 21 issued by him.
He insisted that any political party that wants to use public schools for a campaign must obtain permission from the Commissioner of Education.
Governor Wike offered to provide logistic support to Mr. Peter Obi whenever he visits Rivers State for his presidential campaign.
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