GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike says he would have won the presidential election had he emerged as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Wike reiterated that he has no political axe to grind with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
He, however, maintained that the demand that the North should relinquish the position of the national chairmanship of the PDP to the South remains a panacea to the seeming intractable crisis rocking the party.
Wike spoke today when his political associates and Rivers elders led by the chairman, Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, visited his private residence in Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor local government area of the State, to felicitate with him on his 55th birthday anniversary
The governor recalled that precisely a year ago, Rivers Elders Council urged him to contest for the office of the president of Nigeria, pointing out that he heeded the advice and almost clinched the PDP presidential ticket if not for the alleged manipulation of the process.
He said: “I don’t regret I ran for presidency. In the name of God, I am happy to make Rivers State proud. I am happy as far I am concerned. If they had allow it to be what it is supposed to be, I would have won the election. But it’s okay. It has happened.
“People said because I lost election, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t lose election. This is my first time of trying to run for the president of Nigeria and we made impact. If it is easy, let them go ahead. Are they not the ones begging.”
Wike, who reiterated that he does not have any personal problem with the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, explained that the seeming lingering crisis in the PDP has to do with demand from the southern stakeholders that the national chairman who hails from the North as the presidential candidate, should relinquish his position.
The governor said: “I have no problem with presidential candidate. All I am saying is what is the interest of Rivers people? What is the interest of the South-South and the South?”
He explained that the reason why some of his Ikwerre brothers like Sir Celestine Omehia and former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Opara, were begrudging him was because of his insistence that it will be morally offensive for an Ikwerre man to succeed him or even emerge as PDP candidate for Rivers East senatorial district.
Wike said: “I called Austin (Opara) , he sat here and I said look my brother leave it, it will not work. I don’t want to cause crisis in our system. Amaechi finished eight years as governor, I’m going to finish eight years as governor too. It will be difficult to sell another Ikwerre person as governor for another eight years. Omehia said he wants to go to the Senate, I said leave it. Ikwerre has gone, Ogu has gone, leave Etche to go.
“You people said I should go (to Senate), I said I won’t. Allwell (Onyesoh) could not have stopped me. Yes, today we are majority, you don’t know what tomorrow will be. I never did anything to undermine anybody. We must understand that.”
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