A socio-political group, Northern Youth Network (NYN), has accused Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike of working to ensure the emergence of a weak presidential candidate in the North in 2023.
The group in a statement signed by its convener, Mallam Aliyu Abdulrahman, while reacting to Governor Wike’s recent visits to Governors across the country, said he aims to work for a Northern PDP presidential candidate.
“We know that governor Wike has never been a friend of the North and has never hidden his disgust for northerners and everything related to the North. He cannot therefore pretend to have the interest of northerners now because of his intention to impose a weak candidate from the North as the presidential candidate of the PDP.”
“Over the years, we have watched Governor Wike denigrate the North and it’s heritage. Wike has consistently used demeaning words to refer to the Northerners. He has literarily referred to the North as illiterates and Almajiris.”
Abdulrahman warned those vying for the Presidency in the North who think playing a second fiddle to Wike will win the ticket for them to remember that the Governor is a bad politician.
“If Governors Tambuwal or Bala Muhammed would emerge as candidates, it is not Governor Wike who should tell the North. The North has all it takes to bring out a candidate. He is trying to be smart. He wants to be vice president to any northern candidate he selects and Chief of staff to Ayim pius Ayim if power moves to the south.”
The group insisted that Governor Wike has chased many people out of the PDP as a result of his high-handedness, arrogance and domineering behavior.
“Recently, he fought and removed the National Chairman of the PDP, prince Uche Secondus. At the reception of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, the new chairman of the party in Benue State, Wike was quoted to have warned him and threatened to work against him, if he does not dance to his tune.”
He re-emphasized that the Northern region has very experienced and accomplished politicians and elder statesmen who understand the demand of leadership without the input of Governor Wike.