Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said the inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to tackle insurgency, banditry, and corruption will compel Nigerians to vote out the party in 2023.
But, the Secretary, Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling APC, Senator John James AkpanUdoedehe, dismissed the governor’s submission.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, quoted Wike as speaking on Thursday shortly after inspecting the Greater Interchange and Underpass being constructed by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in Yola.
Wike said: “Are Nigerians happy? The answer is no. If Nigerians are not happy, what is the expected result that you intend to get? Obviously, Nigerians would want APC government not to govern them in 2023.”
He stated that with the overwhelming infrastructural development taking place in all the PDP states which Nigerians could attest to, it would be impossible for the PDP not to win the 2023 general elections.
“I believe that Nigerians now know that they have made a mistake and they want to correct the mistake by voting for PDP and no longer APC,” he stated.
Wike said the latest ranking of Nigeria as 146th on the Transparency International Corruption Index was indicative that the APC administration’s claim of fighting corruption has been misleading.
“What you see is vindictiveness. Today, if I want to leave PDP and go to APC, I will no longer be corrupt. The moment I remain in PDP, I’m corrupt. So, corruption is based on the party you belong to. That is their definition of corruption and that is why everybody is disappointed,” he said.
Wike maintained that the country has never been divided and insecure the way it has been under the APC leadership.
Wike urged the Adamawa governor to remain focused on the delivery of dividends of democracy to his people and not be bothered by the antics of the opposition.
“I am shocked, overwhelmed with what I have seen. I was asking him where he was getting the money from. The kind of construction going on is as if Nigeria’s economic problem does not affect Adamawa State. And that is what we have always said, whatever opportunity you have, whatever privilege you have, you try to make your people happy by providing them the basic infrastructure.
“Don’t be distracted, don’t be bothered with what people will say. Continue to focus on infrastructural development because that is what can drive the economy of Adamawa State,” he said.
AkpanUdoedehe, in a telephone interview with The Nation last night in Abuja, said with what the ruling party has done despite the global economic situation, APC remains the party to beat come 2023.
“Governor Wike is only doing what is expected of someone in opposition. He has the right to woo Nigerians, but he should know that Nigeria does not begin and end in Rivers.
“We are confident with what we have done that APC remains the choice party for Nigerians. The outcome of bye-elections after #ENDSARS protest where APC came out victorious speaks volume of which is the preferred party in the country. Even in Lagos, the hotbed of the protest, our people voted en masse for APC.”
On the allegation that the APC led government has mismanaged the economy, the APC leader said: “But for the prudence of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, with the level of havoc the PDP-led administration wrecked on the country’s economy for 16 years, the country would have gone under. Today despite the global recession and the novel COVID-19 pandemic, our economy is still afloat.
“I want to commend Governor Wike for discussing issues by wooing Nigerians, but we have the confidence that with what we have done and the outcome of recent legislative bye-elections have shown the country’s preferred party.”
Source: The Nation