Wike declares to contest 2023 Presidency, vows to tackle insecurity, poverty, lack of electricity

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has finally declared his intention to run for 2023 Presidential race under his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, calling all PDP members and supporters to vote for him to tackle insecurity, poverty and darkness across the country bedeviling the nation dwarfing economic development and prospects of Nigeria in the past seven years.

He said the ruling APC has failed Nigerians and citizens are dying of hunger, dying from insecurity and living in darkness without electricity to boost their economic activities.

Wike who stated this on Monday in Maiduguri while addressing mammoth crowd that converged at Fordham Conference Hall Maiduguri further maintained that Nigeria can not be allowed to collapse at this critical moment; the country is in need of a capable and competent leader that will turn around the fortunes of the country.

“Nigeria now desperately requires a leader with political will and courage to decisively end the scourge of insecurity, hunger and darkness to willingly revive the ailing economy for the benefits of all and sundry.

“We are tired of insecurity, poverty and darkness. We have all it takes to make every Nigerian live comfortably with the abundant resources God has blessed our country with at every part of the nation.

“Leadership of Nigeria is not all about Muslim or Christian. It is not about Southerner or Northerner. It is about political will and competence of a leader. That is I want to run for the Presidency. I am not looking for PDP Presidential Candidate. I want Presidential ticket to rule Nigeria.

“Whenever they come to you, say Wike is the answer. If your teacher ask you tell him it is Wike. If your wife touch you, say it is Wike. Wike is the answer any where, anytime. I have been in PDP since 1998. I never left PDP even when everybody left PDP. I stood to see that PDP stands and all you know very well how I keep PDP. Only a leader like me can give you what you want”, Wike said.

He observed that in the past seven years, the security and economic situation in the country had deteriorated due to the incompetence of the current All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.

“I came here today because there is a problem, and that problem is that Nigeria is dying and we must not allow Nigeria to die. We must rescue this country. So, I came as a Nigerian, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, a party I have never left since 1998 till now. A party I have worked for and will continue to work for. A party I believe with, Nigeria has hope.

“And so, I want to run for the presidency of this country under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. I came because I feel concerned, I came because I have no other country to run to and therefore, I have come to offer myself to solve most of the problems that this APC administration could not solve.”

“People use to talk about insecurity in Borno State, today, insecurity is all over Nigeria. Hunger does not know Muslim, hunger does not know Christian. Insecurity does not know Muslims, insecurity does not know Christian. Insecurity does not know north, insecurity does not know south. You need somebody who will have the courage to fight insecurity in this country and I want to tell you I have that courage”, Wike said.

He however advised the PDP delegates not to be deceived by those who may want to use geopolitical and religious sentiment to influence how they will vote during the PDP convention.

According to him, the socio-economic and security challenges bedeviling the country do not exclusively affect Muslims or Christians alone.

“Nigerians are aware that everybody is suffering. Nigerians are aware people are dying. Muslims are dying, Christians are dying. Northerners are dying, southerners are dying. We need somebody that can stop all these and that is me”, Wike added

Governor Wike further accused APC leadership of covertly scheming against his emergence as the flag bearer of the PDP. According to him, APC leaders are afraid that if he clinches the PDP presidential ticket, that will mark the end of their grip on power.

The governor commended the leader of PDP in Borno State, Hon. Mohammed Alkali Imam for being a steadfast and dependable political ally when PDP political structures were to be destroyed and he also stood strongly by me to ensure PDP survives.

In his welcome address, the Borno State PDP leader, Hon. Mohammad Imam explained that he is one of the friends who purchased the expression of intent and nomination forms for Governor Wike because they are convinced of his capacity to lead Nigeria out of its current socio-economic predicaments.

Imam who spoke on behalf of PDP delegates in Borno and Yobe States decried the nonchalance shown by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government to issues of security that has crumbled business in the two States.

“We in Borno and Yobe are business people. We are bordered with three countries; Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Your excellency, our people are businessmen.

“On a daily basis, lots of people here can attest to that, over 2000 trucks load of goods come out from Maiduguri market, cutting (taken) across these three Trans Sahara regions that I’ve mentioned: Maiduguri, Banki-Bama to Cameroon, lake Chad, Niger, up to Central Africa: Libya.”

Hon. Imam also expressed grief over the level of devastation that their communities have suffered within the period because of the unrestrained marauding Boko Haram killers.

In his welcome address earlier, the Borno State PDP Chairman, Hon. Mustapha Gaddama Zanna lambasted the APC for the nations economic failures, while blaming the APC leaders for betraying Nigerians over its electioneering campaign promises seven years ago allowing insecurity, poverty and darkness to swallow the poor masses of the country who voted them into power.

He called on all PDP members and supporters to vote Wike in the forthcoming general election and all other PDP candidates to usher into a new PDP government that will fulfill the dreams of Nigerians and take them to the promised land.

Zanna described Nyesom Wike as the most suitable leader to deliver Nigeria to the promise land, bring comfort and employment to the youths, cater for the womenfolks and remove the nation from the shackles of APC leadership which Nigerians are already tired of and want change and good leadership.

The Rivers State Governor had earlier paid condolence visit to Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State over the demise of his father in law and commended the governor for the gigantic projects he saw that have been executed by Zulum in the past three years.