Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says anyone who thinks his state is inconsequential will meet his waterloo at the polls.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Orochiri-Worukwo flyover in Rivers on Monday, Wike said the sate will use its votes to show its worth and relevance in the forthcoming general election.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), attended the event.
The Rivers governor, however, said the state would always have the support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“If you say Rivers state does not matter, Rivers state will tell you that it doesn’t matter at the appropriate time. If you don’t like us, we will not like you. If you like us, we will like you,” he said.
“Nobody will use our votes for nothing. Our votes will matter and Rivers state must benefit from anybody that we are going to support.
“Politics now is no longer just voting for somebody, it is about what you will do for the people of Rivers state. My guest from Lagos state, let nobody tell you the story that anybody will come here to win as governor of Rivers state. It will not happen.
“Those who looted the treasury of the state will not come here to be governor of Rivers state and I have challenged them. I am fully in charge. I am not the kind of governor people will go to Abuja and hold meetings against. I am fully in charge here.”
While inaugurating the project, Sanwo-Olu said politicians must learn to play politics without bitterness.
“There is also a strong message being made today about expanding our capacity to play politics without bitterness. This symbolic gesture by my friend and brother is one that should become standard practice across Nigeria,” he said.
“There is also a lot that we can learn from one another, and experience that we can translate from one part of the country to the other.
“Ultimately, we are all in governance to touch the lives of the people for good; to deliver to them the dividends of democracy.”
Wike’s comments come amid speculations over his support for the PDP following his loss of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential tickets.