Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has urged Nigerians not to vote for a sectional leader in the 2023 presidential election.
Wike said the country does not need a man who asked electorates not to vote for a Yoruba or Igbo man.
He made this assertion while speaking at a road commissioning in Emohua area of Rivers State on Monday.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in October during an interactive session with Arewa Joint Committee held in Kaduna State had said Northerners don’t need a Yoruba or Igbo man to lead the country.
Atiku added that all what Northerners need is him because he’s a Pan-Nigerian with a northern extraction.
Speaking on Monday, Wike urged Nigerians not to vote for a sectional leader
He said: “It is not enough to say don’t vote for an Igbo man or Yoruba man, but what we need is to vote for you who will lead Nigeria to development.”
Speaking further, Wike promised the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, “logistics support” for his campaign in the state.
He added that,the former governor of Kano State is a man of “Integrity” and someone who has what it takes to lead the country.
He said: “You are a man of integrity, it is unfortunate that we are not in the same party but God will help at appropriate time. These are the kind of people that should be talking about leadership of the country. I want to tell you that if you are coming for a campaign here, I will give you the logistic support”.
“We are all here to make sure that,this election is free and fair. We’ve not started full campaign, what we are doing for now is introduction to campaign.”
Wike recalled how he persuaded Kwankwanso not to leave PDP but all his efforts were truncated by those he described as “enemies of progress”
He said Kano is very important for the victory of PDP in the 2023 presidential election next February but all his entreaties to PDP stalwarts not to let Kwankwaso go proved abortive.
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“Let me thank you, people may not understand. When you wanted to leave PDP,I came to your house in Abuja two times to plead with you not to leave the party. But, people that wanted to reap where they never sow truncated the efforts,”he said
“I told them, Kano is very very important for our party. Therefore, let’s do whatever it takes, let’s keep Kwankwaso and manage ourselves.
“The more the merrier. We’re in opposition party and we can not continue to drive our people away of the party and expect us to win election.They turned deaf ears but I told them the repercussions will be heavy.
“When he was going,he told me and affirmed that his people would support me and they did.
He urged Kwankwanso to tell whoever is vying under NNPP in the state to take it easy because the state is a “no go area” for other party.