Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday stated the conferences his staff held with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a few presidential candidates had been in nationwide curiosity and nothing private as extensively believed.
The governor, who spoke with journalists on the Port Harcourt Worldwide Airport when he returned from the UK on Friday, was accompanied by the governors of Benue and Abia states, Samuel Ortom and Okezie Ikpeazu.
The PUNCH reported on Friday that Wike on Thursday met with the presidential candidate of his occasion, the Peoples Democratic Celebration, Atiku Abubakar; and that of the Labour Celebration, Peter Obi.
The governor has been aggrieved since he misplaced the presidential major of the PDP and after Atiku selected Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his operating mate.
Wike stated, “I can verify that that is the primary time as a staff that we’re assembly with presidential candidates. We met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu) and we met with our chief, former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“We met the presidential candidate of the Labour Celebration (Peter Obi). We additionally met with our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. For no matter it’s price, session is ongoing.
“No matter we’re speaking about is for the curiosity of Nigeria and Nigerians. It’s not parochial and tied to at least one individual or group of individuals. We consider that with what’s going on it is going to be for the curiosity of Nigerians on the finish of the day. Session remains to be ongoing.”
He stated management needs to be in regards to the collective curiosity and never folks’s egocentric curiosity. He described as unlucky conditions whereby a governor who served for eight years would wish to be succeeded by his son.
“It’s solely on this a part of the world you can see that, once we are speaking about poverty in all places. These are individuals who don’t imply effectively for Nigeria,” he added.
He stated competence needs to be elevated above ethnic and non secular sentiments.
He added, “The one id they’ve on this nation is faith and ethnicity, nothing extra. It’s both I’m a Christian or I’m a Muslim. I’m a Fulani or I’m an Igbo. Nigeria can’t transfer ahead besides they suppose it is going to be them. That’s the place we’re.
“We’re in a rustic the place somebody with a major faculty certificates might be appointed Minister of Overseas Affairs. That tells you ways dangerous this nation has turn into. However with our session, all these will likely be issues of the previous. No quantity of intimidation or blackmail will deter us. We’re decided to make issues proper.”
Ortom, who was the chief of the staff, famous that they’d met with famend individuals in the previous few days due to their perception that Nigeria was in misery and required concerted effort to rescue it.
“For us, we’re trying on the bigger image. Nigeria at the moment is in misery. It’s about what we will do. We’re how we will harness concepts and put ourselves collectively to make sure that we get out of the current problem we’re in at the moment.
“From prime to backside, take into account what has occurred from 2015 and the place we’re at the moment. That is past partisan politics. We’re how we will come collectively and discover a method of guaranteeing that Nigeria survives. Nigeria is on drip, Nigeria is on oxygen and it’s about how we will get out of this.”
He stated nothing concrete had been determined however that consultations had been ongoing.
He added, “The session is happening and can proceed to go on. We’re nonetheless going to satisfy right here. We’re nonetheless going to satisfy some folks another time and see how we will work to make sure that the mission Nigeria works.”
Ikpeazu additionally confused that they had been on a mission and had been decided to discover a method of rescuing Nigeria.
He added, “It is a nation with nice potential and we’ve got to guard it. We predict we have to have interaction throughout the board. We’re additionally talking with civil society organisations and those that have concepts and with Nigerians within the diaspora.
River’s gov staff returns, to satisfy ex-VP once more
In the meantime, an ally of Wike and former senator, Olaka Wogu, advised considered one of our correspondents in an interview on Thursday evening that the assembly between Wike and Atiku’s camps in London was a continuation of those held in Port Harcourt.
He added, “Atiku responded to a number of the points mentioned on the final assembly. It was agreed that each events would take some time to have a look at what was mentioned earlier than assembly once more. It was agreed that point was of the essence for Atiku to represent the presidential marketing campaign.
“Wike didn’t make calls for, however there have been issues on the desk. Wike is just not desperate to make calls for however he needs the occasion to be on a very good footing.”
Talking on stories that Wike demanded that Atiku would do one time period, Wogu stated, “No person mentioned time period or tenure for Atiku. There are some speculations on the market that haven’t come up for dialogue but. However the basic ones are already earlier than Atiku to cope with. They’re issues Atiku and Wike will work out. Wike and Atiku at the moment are taking management of the reconciliation course of.”
He added that their present dialogue was based mostly on the suggestions of the Ahmadu Fintiri-led committee.
When requested how lengthy it might take for everybody to return collectively and work as a staff, he stated, “Crucial factor is that there’s a course all events are going to work in direction of. I feel essentially the most troublesome a part of it has been handled. The conferences are fastened based mostly on the schedules of the people involved.”
Feud resolvable – Azi
A PDP chieftain and former Minister of State for Transportation, Musa Azi, has stated though the disagreement had lingered for too lengthy, it was not with out answer.
In an interview with considered one of our correspondents on Friday, he said, “All we’d like for the disaster to be resolved is for the 2 camps to indicate understanding. They need to know that politics is a sport of give-and-take.”
Requested his view on the demand by Wike’s allies that Iyorchia Ayu ought to give up because the nationwide chairman, Azi stated, “All I can let you know is that we in PDP recognize Wike for all the things he has accomplished for the occasion. However there can solely be one candidate for the occasion. In any case, we’ll attempt to accommodate him and we’ll resolve all the problems. The problems will likely be resolved and that won’t in any method have an effect on the probabilities of the occasion within the 2023 basic elections.”