“I Will Not Impose My Presidential Candidate On Rivers People” –  Wike

By Charles Igbo

Wike To Secondus: “I never said I was going to impose my Candidate on Rivers people. I said I was going to tell Rivers people who I am going to support, who I am going to campaign for. But don’t blame them, when you didn’t finish Secondary School, you will not understand the grammar”

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as an illiterate, almost. Of Secondus, Wike implied that he did not finish Secondary School.

Wike spoke in response to a statement by Secondus earlier. The former National Chairman, while responding to Wike’s boast that he would announce the Presidential candidate of his choice in January 2023, and tell Rivers people who he was going to campaign and vote for, told Wike that no one person has the powers to tell Rivers people which Presidential Candidate to vote for.

But on Saturday, December 24, 2023, at the inauguration of Aluu Omagwa in Omagwa Ikwerre Local Government Area in the State Wike said he never made any such statement. He said he never said he would impose a Presidential ticket on Rivers people, as stated by Secondus. He submitted that he only said he would tell Rivers people who his choice is in January, against the Presidential Election of February 25, 2023. He taunted Secondus  for not understanding simple grammar. The Governor, also, insisted that Secondus has since been expelled from the PDP, and so, has no  business to speak about its affairs.

Wike: “A former member of the our Party, Uche Secondus, said no one man can impose a Presidential Candidate on Rivers people. He is not a member of our party.” He said Secondus’ Ward expelled him. When he challenged the expulsion, Wike said Secondus lost at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The case, he said, is now at the Supreme Court level, and comes up on 23rd October, 2023.

The Governor continued: “Up till now, you (Secondus) are not a member of our Party. And, in any case, I never said I was going to impose my Candidate on Rivers people. I said I was going to tell Rivers people who I am going to support, who I am going to campaign for. But I don’t blame them. When you didn’t finish Secondary School, you will not understand the grammar.”

Both men were best of friends before they fell apart.

Wike was behind the installation of Secondus as the National Chairman of the Party. Ironically, he, also, led the battle which removed him from office.

Both Rivers State indigenes, the two now work at cross-purposes. While Wike strongly works against the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Secondus works for Atiku as his Technical Adviser in his bid to be President.

On that, Wike said: “Mr Secondus, I have no problem with you being Technical Adviser to Atiku. But don’t speak on behalf of Rivers State PDP because you are not a member of our Party.”