Wike: Why We Will Win Future Rivers Elections
By Eleme Kash
The former Governor of Rivers State who is also the current Minister responsible for Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike has boasted that the mainstream political family in the PDP painstakingly put together by him will continue to provide Rivers people with effective, efficient and reliable leadership.
Wike who said there has never been any moment in the management of the affairs of the Pan Rivers group when quarrels had broken out in the family observed that the success of the team has been achieved through a sense of unity.
The Rivers leader was rubbing minds with a delegation of elected Rivers lawmakers at the national level who paid him a courtesy call.
“We went through hell”, the former governor said when he recalled events which took place in the 2015 era.
He also recalled how election results secured from polling units across the State were summarily canceled and how members of the New Rivers Vision went through several electoral reruns to clinch victory.
But the former governor said that as a result of the grace of God, Rivers people have continously voted in favor of candidates presented under the banner of the New Rivers Vision.
The Rivers strongman said the trend of victory recorded in the State to this day is proof of the love which exists between Rivers people and their kith and kin who are members of the New Rivers Vision.
While reaffirming his membership of the PDP, Wike expressed confidence that even if the supporters of the group were to leave their present party for another platform, they would still emerge winners in future Rivers elections.
Tracing the geography of political events in 2023, the Minister who expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, said the Rivers State was able to vote for the APC in the presidential elections and later went ahead to return three Senators, 11 House of Reps members, a governor and 32 state lawmakers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“When you make mistakes”, the FCT Minister remarked, “we will tell you.”
This, he noted, should not be seen as an attempt to either chide or control any one.
He said it should be seen as an effort under his leadership to ensure people do not act out of line, saying that the pursuit of common values of interest to Rivers people have brought members of the team together as one family.
Wike urged all those who lost out miserably in his party, the PDP as well as the Rivers APC in course of the nation’s last electioneering period to leave him alone.
Earlier, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chindah, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives who led the delegation of the Caucus thanked the Minister for his spirited fight to protect Rivers and national intetests.
Chindah said members of the caucus would remain grateful to Wike for his fight to ensure their growth and electoral victory.
He also used the opportunity to express his gratitude to the former governor for making it possible for him to emerge as the minority leader.