Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says the state has benefitted nothing from the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.
He, therefore, called on all members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and across the country to work together in a bid to overthrow the ruling party in 2019.
The governor said this on Tuesday when he received former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
“There is no benefit that Rivers State has gotten from this APC Federal Government, all the APC Federal Government is doing is plotting to rig the 2019 elections,” Wike alleges.
“God will make sure that the right candidate emerges. When the right candidate emerges, we will team up and remove this bad government.”
Governor Wike told the former vice president – who has declared his intention to run for Presidency – that he hopes the PDP produces the right presidential candidate to reclaim power from the APC.
He, however, said that irrespective of who emerges the party’s presidential candidate, all PDP faithful should see themselves as members of the larger family.
The governor maintained that: “We must do everything to ensure that PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in 2019. Only one aspirant will become a candidate; we will do everything to ensure that the party comes out with a candidate that has a track record to upstage the APC”.
With less than one year to the general elections, Governor Wike called on Nigerians to take up the solemn responsibility of sacking the APC led Federal Government.
Governor Wike urged all PDP members irrespective of their status to ensure that the march to the Presidential Villa is not truncated by disunity.
He also urged all PDP presidential aspirants to contest within acceptable limits, as the race is not a do-or-die affair but a movement to reclaim power at the centre.
The governor, who said he has received former Jigawa State governor, Dr Sule Lamido, and now former Vice President Atiku, noted that other aspirants would be offered the platform to consult with Rivers PDP members.
He said that the former vice president has the right qualification to fly the PDP flag, noting that he should extend his consultations.
Earlier, former Vice President Atiku said that he has offered himself to set the country on the path of growth after the serial failure of the APC.
He alleged that since 2015, the APC led Federal Government has destroyed the education, health and infrastructural sectors through poor budgetary allocations and releases.
“I have never seen Nigeria so divided along religious, ethnic and regional lines. This division is as a result of the mismanagement of the APC,” the presidential hopeful said while calling for the unity of the country.
He noted that no component part of the country can make progress independently and called on the PDP stakeholders in Rivers to support his ambition to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
The former Vice President visited Rivers in company with Former governors of Ogun and Enugu states, Mr Gbenga Daniel and Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, as well as former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa among others.
