Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has sounded the death knell for any reconciliation between the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
According to him, the G-5 governors have crossed the rubicon, and are no longer disposed to broker any peace with national leadership of the party.
He said contrary to insinuations that the G-5 governors were working at cross-purposes, the group has remained intact and their impact would be felt in the aftermath of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
Wike who spoke yesterday during a media chat in Port Harcourt said no G-5 governor has so far attended the PDP presidential campaign in their respective states.
The governor said, “Even before Enugu governor received him (Atiku) in Government House, we knew about it. We cannot tell you the approach. Forget about what people are saying; February 25th is here. Everybody will see it. We can’t do that again. It’s over.
“We have said it and there is nothing anybody can do about it now. They believe that they have won election, so they don’t need us. I am not ready to sit down again with anybody.”
Wike noted that those who have chosen to ignore the G-5 and other members of the Integrity Group will soon realise their grave mistake after February 25.
He said he has no apology for hosting the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other leaders of the party in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He however declined to mention his preferred presidential candidate, saying the PDP leaders in Rivers State have already taken a position on whom the state will vote for and that decision has been communicated to party stalwarts and supporters ahead of next week election.
He reiterated his resolve not to leave the PDP, boasting that he remains one of the most relevant members of the party.
On the decision of the PDP not to hold its presidential campaign in Rivers State, Wike said members of presidential campaign council in the state lack honour and are devious.
He alleged that after collecting money from some governors to organise the presidential rally, the PCC members who apparently lack capacity to mobilise a crowd decided to cook up an outlandish conspiracy theory of insecurity in the state.
On President Muhammadu Buhari’s broadcast yesterday, the governor said his insistence that the old N500 and N1000 note cease to be a legal tender is tantamount to interference with a pending lawsuit before the Supreme Court.
Wike stressed that the president’s directive to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reintroduce only the old N200 note into the economy is an affront on the Supreme Court.
The Rivers State governor expressed dismay that the president who ideally should be the epitome of the rule of law has regrettably taken deliberate steps to undermine the integrity of the Supreme Court, whose interim injunction on the naira swap matter is still subsisting.
He said, “As far as I am concerned, this is a complete interference, which is not good for our democracy.”
The governor said it is hypocritical for the federal government to propose out-of-court settlement with aggrieved states, while at the same time undermining the outcome of the pending suit before Supreme Court.
Governor Wike insisted that the interim order issued by the Supreme Court is still subsisting and must be respected by the federal government to the letter.
“Until that is done there is nothing anybody can do about it. The issue of N200 naira in circulation is neither here nor there. If they had pulled out of court then the president could come in. Having not pulled out of court and the interim order still subsists we should obey it to the letter.”
He maintained that the federal government’s claim that the naira redesign policy will curb corruption and vote buying is not tenable.
According to him, the timing of the naira swap policy smacks of politics.
“So, we must consider issue of timing. Some people may say it is good to help fight corruption. I don’t believe so. As far as I am concerned, I believe that this policy is targeted at some people. I may not wrong.”
Governor Wike said he cannot fathom how a policy which the federal government claims is intended to help the Nigerian economy has now turned out to be its albatross.
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