2023: I’ll not accept the position of vice president — Wike

 

A presidential aspirant, Nyesom Wike, says he will not accept the position of vice president in the 2023 elections.

“I’m not coming out to negotiate to be vice to anyone, I’m coming out to contest for the number one position in the country,” Mr Wike, Rivers State governor, told the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday in Benin, Edo State.

He was in Benin to seek the support of the party leaders and delegates in Edo State.

Mr Wike lamented the state of insecurity in the country. He said there was a need for Nigeria to spend big on intelligence-gathering to curb insecurity.

He said one of the factors causing persistent insecurity in the country was the “inability of the Federal Government to spend enough money on intelligence gathering to stop insecurity”.

The governor said the ability of a president to secure the country and protect lives and properties should be a paramount criterion to measure success.

“It takes a committed leadership to ensure adequate security in the country,” he said.

Mr Wike said his “antecedents and achievements” as a past chairman of a local council, federal minister, and as a governor “were visible for everyone to see”.

He said he was sure PDP would win the 2023 presidential election if he is given the party ticket.

“We must have a candidate who listens to the grassroots. I have the capacity to face the All Progressives Congress in 2023.

“Give me the ticket and have your confidence that we will take over power in May 2023. Don’t allow anybody to disabuse your mind from voting for Wike.

“We cannot continue to give excuses why we are losing elections.”

Mr Wike said there was a need to remove a “disconnect” between government and party.

The government, he said, cannot do anything without carrying the party along.

“Leadership should not be a cabal thing,” he said.

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Governor Wike earlier visited the palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II. He told the king he would check insecurity if elected president.

“The way our country has fared, Nigeria needs somebody that will see white and say it is white and see black and say it is black.

“If the PDP gives me the ticket, I have enough experience to tackle Nigeria’s plethora of problems, having been a local government chairman, minister of state over-seeing education and now governor.”

‘Wike is our son’ – Oba of Benin

The Benin king, in his response, described Mr Wike as “our son”. He said they would keep praying for the aspirant.

“Wike is our son, we love him and if I say so, I believe I am speaking on behalf of our ancestors.

“We will keep praying for him so that he does not come across anybody that will mislead him, mis-inform him and may he and his family never come across harm.”

The Oba said the European colonialists tried to erase African mores after discovering that Benin Kingdom and other African kingdoms had superior administrations and civilisations.

He urged political leaders to promote and ensure sustenance of African culture and traditions.

Dan Orbih, the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, urged delegates to support Mr Wike whom he described as a “political elephant”.

Mr Orbih said the nation needed a president who would “say it as it is”.

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He said Nigeria was in “deep slumber” and that someone like Mr Wike is needed to wake the nation up.

He said the PDP in the South-south had resolved that the next president should come from the region.