Why I Shunned Pressure To Dump PDP For APC – Wike; Asks Akpanudoedehe To Shut- up |The Source

By Adesina Soyooye

Unknown to most Nigerians, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, came under tremendous pressure from many quarters, to dump his party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP,  and  join  the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He resisted the pressure, he said, because aside from being a man of character, the APC has nothing to either impress him, or offer the country.

Wike made the revelation on Thursday in Rivers State while playing host to the Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu who he invited to Commission a road project in the State.

A statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the Governor spoke Thursday when he led  Governor Ikpeazu to inaugurate the chief Orabule Adiele Road, Rumuolumeni, formerly known as Aker-Base Road in Rumuolumeni community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area,  Rivers State.

According to the statement, Wike said it would be “unimaginable to leave PDP, a party which continues to hold the promise of good leadership for the country and remains the only hope for Nigerians who are also waiting to vote it into power in 2023”.

Wike, also, explained why he refuses not to talk once he perceives “wrongs and inabilities of the ruling APC because of the need to strengthen the confidence of Nigerians in PDP.”

Wike: “PDP is a party that Nigerians want. No matter all the intimidation, it will not work. We are men of character. When we say something we stand by whatever we have said, not for pecuniary interest.

“If I was that kind of governor, I know how many times people have tried to woo us, we said no. We cannot be wooed. We are here. We started with PDP and will end up with PDP.

“We have no other political party to join because the fate of this country, the hope of Nigerians, solely depends on our party. That is why when we talk about our party, we are not talking about any selfish interest. But it is to continue to give Nigerians that hope that Nigeria is waiting for.”

He skammed Senator James Akpanudoedehe, the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of APC, and dismissed him as “a political harlot, who lack the character to talk about national issues without subjecting it to pecuniary interests.”

Wike: “The National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) said I am playing to the gallery, and that I am economical with the truth. That, after all, the Federal Government has been fighting insecurity and that they gave us bail-out money.

“Bail-out money is not free money. We are paying back the money. But even if they gave us free money, does it mean that if anything is going wrong, I shouldn’t talk?

“We agree that there’s a problem in the country. Even the governors agreed that they are faced with security challenges. Yes, you’re overwhelmed with security challenges but whose responsibility is it to fix the security in this country.

“The National Secretary of APC has been a lifetime governorship aspirant. He has no character. Yesterday, he was with  Tinubu. Today he is with the Minister of Transportation because he wants to be governor.

“Such characters cannot talk to people like us because we have character. A man without character does not have what it takes. I cannot jump from one place to another simply because you want to be governor by all means.

“Ask him, where did he vote in 2019. He voted for PDP. Let him keep his mouth shut before I will tell APC what he did. People like that shouldn’t talk to us.”

The Aker-Base Road was renamed Chief Orabule Adiele in honour of an illustrious son of the Rumuolumeni community and said he would continue to develop infrastructure in the area because of their support to his governorship.

The contract for Nkpor-Mgbuosimini road, he disclosed, has  been rewarded to Lubrick Construction company,  and promised that work would commence in 2021.

Ikpeazu described Wike as a brand, an icon, and a symbol of everything good and a blessing to Nigeria.

He said using concrete pavements in road construction was the best for the topography and urged the people to utilise the road with good care.