Hours after the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu threw his hat in the ring and announced that he had informed the President that he would be taking a shot at the presidential seat next year, outspoken Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Monday called for unity among Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and stakeholders with a view to producing a formidable presidential candidate in 2023. Asiwaju Tinubu, believed to be APC’s prized kingmaker on Monday told the State House press corps that he was determined and prepared to be the king himself stressing that he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to contest the presidential election in 2023. Describing the President as a democrat who did not ask him to drop his ambition which he confessed was a lifelong project, Tinubu said, “I have informed the President of my intention but I’ve not informed Nigerians yet. I am still consulting and I have no problem consulting and I have not set a parameter of limitation to the extent of how many people will I consult.
“You will soon hear all you want to hear; it is a categorical declaration. You’ve gotten that truth from me that I have informed Mr. President of my ambition,” Tinubu said. The former Lagos State governor spoke strongly about having the confidence, the vision, and the capacity to build on the foundation established by President Buhari to turn around the fortunes of the country. Already, posters and billboards advertising the presidential bid of Asiwaju Tinubu have appeared in Abuja and in major cities of the country, including Lagos. But while Tinubu was briefing State House Correspondents, the most visible voice in the leading opposition party travelled to the home state of the immediate past President of the country, Bayelsa state, to talk to governors on the ticket of the PDP and critical stakeholders to be focused and make unity their key word.
Governor Wike urged members of PDP who are fanning the embers of discord over zoning and dividing the rank of governors, to focus their energy more on rebuilding and strengthening the party ahead of the 2023 general elections. The governor made the remarks when he paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri at the Government House, Yenagoa on Monday. “I’ve come to let him know that everybody as PDP members must put ourselves together to build the party. Without the party, nobody can be a presidential candidate. There must be a party. So, there is the need for everybody to work together, make the party united before we talk about who will be a presidential candidate.” The Rivers State governor reiterated that Nigerians are waiting anxiously for PDP to rescue the country from the grip of the ruling All Progressives Congress, [APC].
“We cannot afford to miss this opportunity that Nigerians are giving back to PDP to take over the government in 2023. Everybody must work together as a party. And as governors, we must work together. If we didn’t work together we wouldn’t have had the best convention we have ever had as a party.” Governor Wike warned that if governors and members of the party are not united, it would be difficult for the party to amicably nominate an acceptable presidential candidate. According to him, PDP must capitalise on the brewing crisis in the APC to build a more formidable party to wrest power from the APC-led federal government. Governor Wike assured that PDP governors would not be distracted by the antics of those who are fanning the embers of discord in their bid to weaken their resolve to work in unison for the PDP to clinch the presidency in 2023. “We as governors will be united. Nobody can divide the governors because we are determined to work together to make sure PDP produces the next president in 2023.” He commended Governor Diri, who was the deputy chairman of the PDP convention committee for the pivotal role he played in ensuring the success of the convention that produced the National Working Committee (NWC ) of the party. Governor Wike urged the Bayelsa state governor to focus on providing democratic dividends to the people of his state, as that is the best strategy to silence the opposition in the State.
“You must make a difference, silence the opposition. We have silenced them and will continue to silence them because they are looking for where to get Rivers State to fight Bayelsa. They are looking for how they’ll use Bayelsa to fight Rivers. We’ll not allow that.” Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, lauded Governor Wike for the role he and other governors played in the emergence of a new NWC with a national chairman of proven integrity who will steer the PDP back to power in 2023. “The presidency is one sacred office of our country that we must do everything to protect and to ensure that this time around, our party gets a clinch back. And that can only happen if you and I, not only governors, party structures, elders, leaders and followers alike come together to give Nigerians their expectations. ”We all know here that Nigerians are expecting a change in the Villa. Nigerians are expecting a party to rescue them and the only party that has that pedigree is our party, PDP. There is no other party. So I thank you, I have seen you going all over preaching the same thing, preaching the unity of purpose of our party, preaching oneness, that is the right way to go.”