Wike, Makinde, Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi shun Atiku’s campaign flagoff
Governors loyal to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday boycotted the official inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The governors include Wike himself, Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
Some other stakeholders believed to be loyal to Governor Wike were also absent at the inauguration ceremony.
Other PDP governors were however present at the event.
The Wike camp had in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently announced that its members will not campaign for Atiku Abubakar in next year’s presidential election except the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, is made to step down for a southerner to take the position.
Atiku during the event emphasized the need for members of the party and everyone who loves the country to close ranks and join hand with him in the bid to rescue the nation and reposition it for greatness.
“To rescue and rebuild our country, we must first takeover the mantle of leadership from the party that has driven us into this mess. To do this, we must all be united in purpose and come together to fight and win all the elections slated for next year.
“Every single person who loves this country, as I do, is needed for the arduous tasks that face us ahead as a nation, and this includes every member of the PDP. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that every man and woman of goodwill will join hands with us to help rescue, rebuild and reposition our beloved country, Nigeria.
“Our nation is currently in the throes of a multidimensional crisis encompassing insecurity, economic meltdown, disunity and mutual mistrust, to mention a few. To start with, the current government has failed at the very essence of what makes a government: the security of lives and property of its citizens. Our security challenges are legion, and I do not need to bore you by rehashing them here.
“Our economy is in shambles, growth has stagnated, and our people are facing massive existential challenges daily. Hunger is the norm today in our country,” Atiku said.
Atiku’s running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said Atiku’s policy document remains the hope of recovery for the nation.
He said that Atiku was adequately prepared for the task of rescuing the nation from its current state and challenged other presidential candidates to show Nigerians what they intended to do so that they could be assessed by Nigerians.
“We cannot allow people who are not experienced enough to man the affairs of this country at this critical time. I am proud to be one man who is ready to work with a strong belief in Nigeria, a bridge-builder and a man who is ready to take Nigeria from the depth of where we have found ourselves to the proper place that we ought to be as a nation.
“I thank God because Atiku believes in the restructuring of this nation, and with him, our country will develop faster when the states control more resources.
“Thank God we have a man who already has his policy document, ‘My Covenant With Nigerians’, and I challenge other candidates to show to Nigerians what they want to do for the nation.
“I believe that Nigerians are lucky at this moment to have a man who is ready to take us out of where we are now as a nation.
“It is not enough to appear on television to say one thing or the other; it is not enough to be on the social media; they must present to Nigerians what they want to do so that they can be judged going into the future,” he said.
