Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has warned that there will be consequences if the Peoples Democratic Party succumbs to pressures from some “planted presidential aspirants” to move the party’s national convention away from Port Harcourt.
Wike also declared that the state would not support any desperate PDP presidential aspirant, who was sabotaging the economy of the state by fighting the hosting of the party’s presidential primary in Port Harcourt.
The governor further warned that Rivers people would teach the party a bitter lesson if it (PDP) allowed planted desperate presidential aspirants to scuttle the hosting of the presidential primary in Port Harcourt as agreed by all leaders of the party.
Wike, who spoke during a consultative visit by the Gombe State Governor and PDP presidential aspirant, Dr Ibrahim Dankwambo, at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said any presidential aspirant fighting Rivers State should forget about the support of the state, during and after the national convention.
He said, “Let me warn the party, if you dare, Rivers State will teach the party a lesson. Those days have passed when they took Rivers State for granted. Nobody can use and dump Rivers State.
“No presidential aspirant can use and dump Rivers State. We never lobbied for it; we never asked for it, but it will boost the economy of the state. People will make money.
“Those who are against Rivers people from making money to improve their businesses will not get our support.”
The governor said that the winner preferred by the delegates would emerge whether the National Convention held in Jigawa or Adamawa.
He added, “I don’t know why anyone who wants to be President will be afraid of a venue. Then you are not prepared for the election.
“Nobody should dare Rivers State any longer. Enough is enough. The PDP should know that we are not a punching bag. We are not people you can use and push. We are not harlots. Whenever you want, you come. When you finish, you push us aside.
“We will retaliate at the appropriate time. When you go, tell your colleagues, the presidential aspirants; we were not interested (in the venue), but having given it to us, you cannot insult us.”
Wike pointed out that there were persons who were not presidential materials, but had bought forms simply because the Presidency had been zoned to the North.
He wondered why a presidential aspirant would declare that he was uncomfortable with Port Harcourt as a venue but would love Rivers oil.
“You come here to deceive us about restructuring. Just that Rivers State is a venue, you fight it. Then when you are there, what will happen? You think we are fools; where you preach restructuring, then when you get the position, you abandon restructuring,” the governor stated.
Wike said that at the appropriate time, he would reveal the names of presidential aspirants working with the APC Federal Government to scuttle the presidential primary.
He added that no presidential aspirant would use a few members of the Board of Trustees of PDP to scuttle the decision of the party to host the presidential primary in Port Harcourt.
The governor described Governor Dankwambo as “eminently” qualified to contest the position of the President, maintaining that Dankwambo would be considered when Rivers delegates meet to decide on the whom to support.
Earlier, the presidential aspirant, Dankwambo, called on the Rivers PDP delegates to support his aspiration and insisted that he had the capacity to set the country on the path of growth.
