The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that his state and members of the G5 will not work for the presidential ambition of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar.
Wike said this at the launch of the PDP campaign for the 2023 elections in Rivers State on Saturday in Port Harcourt.
At the launch, at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Omagwa in Port Harcourt, the Governor said the campaign flag-off was strictly for the state’s governorship candidate, Siminialayi Fubara, and state candidates for National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.
He said: “Here in Rivers State, I will not support anybody who says that no other person from another ethnic group can be president.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us.
“Whether you are Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba or Igbo, from anywhere, you are entitled to be president of Nigeria.
“So, when you go on national television and tell anybody: ‘Don’t vote for the Yoruba, don’t vote for Igbo,’ you didn’t even mention where I come from.
“This means nobody identifies me, which means I come from nowhere.
“But God knows I come from somewhere.
“God is the one who says where you should come from.
“It has nothing to do with party.
“It has to do with my identity.
“By the grace of God, I come from somewhere and we must show I come from somewhere.
“I believe in party, but I believe in equity, fairness and justice.
“I tell them don’t insult me and my people.
“You go to town hall and you tell them lies.
“I said if you believe in restructuring of Nigeria, if you believe in devolution of power, if you believe (President Muhammadu) Buhari made a mistake of appointing Service Chiefs from one area, then I say what you should do is to correct it from the party.
“What the G5 is saying is equity, fairness and justice.
“The constitution of the party says we must share elective and political offices, but you say you will take everything.
“I will not agree.”