2023: Wike will reveal his favorite presidential candidate in January
Three weeks after promising to adopt a presidential candidate for his supporters to vote for, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has pledged to unveil his preferred presidential candidate for the 2023 elections in January .
"So, all of you who've been on hold, who've said all kinds of things, insulting me; wait, January is here," Wike said Thursday when commissioning a flyover at Port Harcourt, Channels Television reported.
Mr. Wike said he would not just tell his people who to vote for, but campaign for his choice as the presidential candidate nationwide. "Nothing will happen," he added.
Governor Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), fell out with the party leadership after the presidential primary he lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The governor also fell out with Atiku, the party's presidential candidate for reneging on an alleged promise to secure the exit of the party's national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, so that a southerner could lead the party for a " regional balance”.
Atiku and Mr. Ayu are both Northerners.
Mr. Wike heads the G5, a group of PDP governors who are equally unhappy with Atiku and the PDP's leadership.
Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are members of the G5.
The G5 governors, who were appointed to Atiku's campaign board, withdrew and boycotted his inauguration.
Tinubu or Peter Obi?
The G5 had in November in Abia State said they would back a southern presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, a move they said was in line with the agreement reached at the forum southern governors that the presidency of Nigeria should come to the south in 2023.
Although the quintet did not endorse either of the two main southern contenders - Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labor Party (LP), their stance has complicated the challenges facing Atiku who is struggling to resolve the PDP crisis.
After the declaration, the G5 must now choose between Mr. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, or Mr. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos.
Mr. Obi was a regular guest of Governor de Rivers in Port Harcourt. Mr. Wike recently pledged to provide logistical support to the LP candidate whenever he was in Rivers campaigning.
Mr. Tinubu, on the other hand, only visited Mr. Wike by proxy.
APC governors from the southwest recently visited Governor de Rivers, apparently to solicit support for Mr. Tinubu.
Three weeks after promising to adopt a presidential candidate for his supporters to vote for, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has pledged to unveil his preferred presidential candidate for the 2023 elections in January .
"So, all of you who've been on hold, who've said all kinds of things, insulting me; wait, January is here," Wike said Thursday when commissioning a flyover at Port Harcourt, Channels Television reported.
Mr. Wike said he would not just tell his people who to vote for, but campaign for his choice as the presidential candidate nationwide. "Nothing will happen," he added.
Governor Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), fell out with the party leadership after the presidential primary he lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The governor also fell out with Atiku, the party's presidential candidate for reneging on an alleged promise to secure the exit of the party's national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, so that a southerner could lead the party for a " regional balance”.
Atiku and Mr. Ayu are both Northerners.
Mr. Wike heads the G5, a group of PDP governors who are equally unhappy with Atiku and the PDP's leadership.
Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are members of the G5.
The G5 governors, who were appointed to Atiku's campaign board, withdrew and boycotted his inauguration.
Tinubu or Peter Obi?
The G5 had in November in Abia State said they would back a southern presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, a move they said was in line with the agreement reached at the forum southern governors that the presidency of Nigeria should come to the south in 2023.
Although the quintet did not endorse either of the two main southern contenders - Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labor Party (LP), their stance has complicated the challenges facing Atiku who is struggling to resolve the PDP crisis.
After the declaration, the G5 must now choose between Mr. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, or Mr. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos.
Mr. Obi was a regular guest of Governor de Rivers in Port Harcourt. Mr. Wike recently pledged to provide logistical support to the LP candidate whenever he was in Rivers campaigning.
Mr. Tinubu, on the other hand, only visited Mr. Wike by proxy.
APC governors from the southwest recently visited Governor de Rivers, apparently to solicit support for Mr. Tinubu.
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