I Will Never Join APC, Wike Blows Hot.
The Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has reiterated that he will never defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), no matter what. He described two former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, John Bazia and Michael West, who recently defected to All Progressive Congress in the state as political neophytes with slippery character.
A statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri, said the two men, who served as commissioners in his cabinet during his first tenure, became disgruntled because he did not retain them.
Meanwhile, the governor has told the President, Muhammadu Buhari that his integrity would be at stake if he fails to honor invitation of the House of Representatives to address the growing concern about the spate of insecurity across the country.
However, he has accused PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) of sowing seed of discord among PDP governors and jeopardizing the party’s prospect to clinch the Presidency in 2023.
Wike, who stated this in a live television program in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said it was regrettable that instead of capitalizing on the inefficiency and maladministration that has characterized the APC’s five years in power, PDP’s NWC was deepening cracks in the party.
“Ordinarily, that is what opposition party ought to do. If you ask me, are Nigerians waiting for a change? Yes! If you ask me as a member of PDP, am ready to support PDP to takeover, but if you ask me currently, is the leadership of the party willing for us to harvest this opportunity for a change, I will say no.”
“We ought to be united to work and take over the affairs of government, because people are waiting for this opportunity, but the current leadership of NWC is not prepared for that, rather, they have constituted some people to sow a seed of discord among governors for their own selfish interest. And that will boomerang; that will consume them.”
He stressed:
“I will not allow anybody to kill PDP. They have capacity to move to APC. I don’t and I cannot move to APC. So, anybody that tries to do something to destroy PDP, I will not allow you. Anybody that I see that has the trait to destroy the PDP, I will not allow it.”
The governor also noted that it was wrong for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to turn around to subject the invitation to legal interpretation, instead of protecting the integrity of the President, which is now at stake.
“There is insecurity; people are dying. You don’t go by legal approach to solve that problem. If Mr. President had given the assurance that decision was not taken without talking first to his inner cabinet.
“It’s not a question and answer session. You go with a brief to address the congress. For me, this is not the period to be legalistic; this is the period every Nigerian should be concerned about what is happening.”
“You knew the position of Chidi Llyod when he was in APC. Ask the former commissioner of Transport (West), he contested PDP primaries with me and got only three votes, but because of politics of carrying everybody along and the money he spent, I decided to accommodate him. Ask him his contribution to the administration.”
The governor explained that during his first tenure, he almost sacked West as a commissioner for taking 13 luxurious buses belonging to the state government to Calabar for a spiritual programme and also diverting funds generated by taskforce on transport into his personal accounts.
“I called him and asked him his whereabouts. He told me he was in Calabar to see his father, the Olumba Olumba. I was amazed and said: ‘You took our 13 buses to Calabar without permission?’ I would have sacked him that day, but people prevailed on me to manage him till after the election.
“The taskforce were collecting money and paying into his private accounts. I called in the State Executive Council meeting and ask him: ‘How would you pay state money into your private account?’ I managed him till the end of my first tenure. You expect me to bring this kind of person back to my cabinet?”
