Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has hinted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis is far from over.
This comes after he promised on Tuesday that the people of Rivers State would punish the PDP’s national leadership in the upcoming elections.
Wike, who promised to reveal his preferred presidential candidate by the end of January 2023, has yet to specify who he will support in the February 25 election.
The Rivers State Governor, speaking at the Community Secondary School in Akinima Town during the Rivers State PDP Campaign Inauguration at Ahoada West Local Government Area, urged Rivers residents to vote PDP in the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly elections.
However, in regards to the upcoming presidential election, Wike stated that voters in the state would “pepper” the PDP national leadership.
It will be recalled that Wike and other PDP governors, colloquially known as the G5 Governors, have vowed not to support Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate in 2023 unless Iyorchia Ayu resigns as national chairman and is replaced by a southerner.
Speaking at a campaign rally on Tuesday, Rivers State Governor accused the PDP national leadership of abandoning the people of the state when floods devastated their communities, despite visiting other states that had similar experiences.
According to him, this could be interpreted as the PDP national leadership’s hatred for the people of Rivers State.
He said with the “Rivers State does not matter” mentality, the voters would “pepper” the PDP national leadership in the forthcoming poll.
He said:
You had a problem, a major problem. Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua-Odua, had a major flooding problem. After they’ll say we are in the same party. Is there anybody from the national of our party that came to visit Ahoada West, Ahoada East, and Abua?
But they went to other States, which means that they don’t like us. If somebody says he doesn’t like you, will you force yourself on them?