Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the failure of the party to win the presidential election.
The governor believes the party’s misfortune was a consequence of ignoring the warnings of the G5 governors, who called for equity, justice and fairness before the poll.
Wike insisted that it was too early to forget that the fate that befell the PDP was avoidable if its leadership had heeded many appeals and demands for equity.
Wike spoke at Okomoko Community Field while inaugurating the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Etche Local Government Area.
The governor said it was fair that the presidency had returned to the South because the North was completing its eight years at the presidency.
He said: “Our constitution says in Section 7 (3) (c) that there shall be the rotation of public offices; of appointive and elective.
“You took the chairmanship of the party. You took the presidential candidate slot of the party and we came to you, saying this is against the spirit of our constitution.
“Give us back the chairmanship, you said no, that you must have it all because you have won. I said ‘be careful’ then, and nobody wants to remember all those things when we were shouting.”
Wike said while others were demonstrating against the outcome of the presidential election, he was in Rivers inaugurating projects and satisfying the developmental needs of the people.
The governor said he never criticised either the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi or his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during the campaigns.
Wike said he only chose to campaign unapologetically to true lovers of Nigeria to vote for a southern presidential candidate in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice.
He said: “That is what we have argued for, that the north has had it for eight years.
“Therefore, the South should have it for eight years. So, I am not here to persecute anybody.
“As far as I am concerned, anybody from the South is where I stand. That is what we agreed as Integrity Group that we must make sure that someone from the South emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The governor insisted that he remained one of the apostles of power rotation on the principles of equity, fairness and justice.
He told the Etche people that he had no problem with anybody who voted for the LP or the APC because the outcome of the presidential election gave Nigeria a southern president.
He took a swipe at the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, saying he lacked the character to steer the affairs of the state.
He said: “Look at the APC candidate (Tonye Cole). He posted on social media, congratulating Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but within one hour, he pulled it down. Is that a man? Is that character?”
