Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike has declared his intention to run for the Nigerian presidency in the 2023 elections.
Wike reportedly revealed this while visiting his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, at Government House, Makurdi, on Sunday.
The governor’s statement is also posted on your Facebook page.
“I will be running for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Wike said on Facebook on Sunday.
Mr Wike was quoted by Television Channels having said that he is the one with the ability to remove the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from power at the federal level.
“To remove APC from power, I am the person who can tell them enough is enough. We must take this power and I am ready to take it for the PDP. God is with us that’s why APC keeps failing every day.
“I declare it for the first time in Benue (state). I am going to stand for election,” she said.
Rivers State Information Commissioner Paulinus Nsirim did not return calls and text messages seeking comment from him.
Wike’s statement comes after several months of speculation about his presidential ambition.
During Wike’s recent feud with Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, the latter accused him of causing trouble in the PDP due to his presidential ambition.
“No one is against his desire to run for president, however his ambition must not be undertaken in such a way as to cause disruption at different levels such as the DPP Governors Forum as well as different party chapters around the world. the country,” Obaseki said of his feud with Wike.
Don’t run for president, Wike – President IYC
Ijaw Youth Council President Peter Igbifa told PREMIUM TIMES last year that he suspected Wike might want to run for president in 2023.
However, he had advised her not to nurture such ambition.
“I will not advise (Wike) to run for president (in 2023). He can break the curse, but then I wouldn’t want him running for president. I prefer to advise you to run for the Senate.
“When (Peter) Odili was governor, I thought he had more friends. But the day his body language showed that he wanted to run for president, he discovered that he had more enemies than friends.
“In general, the world does not always tolerate those who have the resources to combine them with power, for fear of the unknown,” Igbifa said.
Wike is one of Nigeria’s most influential governors and hugely popular in Rivers due to his administration’s infrastructure development in the oil-rich state, but his often controversial comments and actions may prove to be his biggest setback in his presidential ambition.