Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has berated some elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the State saying they have relocated to Abuja to plot against him.
Wike said his detractors were angry that they failed to clinch the governorship ticket of the party for the 2023 election.
The Governor recalled how some of them visited him during his birthday in 2021 and urged him to contest the presidential ticket.
But he said having failed in their ambitions, they ran to Abuja to join forces against him.
Wike spoke on Monday during the 74th birthday reception organised to honour the former Governor Peter Odili at the private residence built and donated to him by the State government in Old Government Residential Area, Port Harcourt.
Wike said those elders came to him on their own accord and showed a commitment that they would stay to support him and his decisions.
He said: “On my last birthday, 12 midnight, one of our elders called me that they wanted to see me. They came to me and said they came to wish me happy birthday.
“Then, they presented me a letter that I should run for president. All of them including Dr. Abiye (Sekibo) signed the document.
“I say okay, you people too should go and give me someone who would be governor after me. They all sat there, looking left and right.
“I asked them, those of you who are interested to be Governor should raise your hands. Everybody raised his hand. One person didn’t raise his hand, Senator Bari Mpigi. I asked why he was not interested, he replied, sir, let me hold what God has given me. I don’t want to lose the two.”
Wike noted that the elders also signed a document that they would abide by whatever became the outcome of the governorship primary.
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But the Governor expressed disappointment that since they were not successful, they had turned around to allege that he was pursuing a third term bid.
He said: “Some persons don’t know the history. They go and tell all kinds of stories. But the truth is this, all of them (elders) signed the document prepared by O.C.J. Okocha that whoever I will bring, they will abide to it.
“But now, they went to Abuja, that I must not be vice president. I also read, yesterday when I was in Paris, one of them saying that I told him that if they do to me what they did to Dr. Odili that I will collapse the system.
“I am not an ungrateful person. And I will never be ungrateful in my life. What’s important is that I have done well as a governor. I am happy and I am leaving office a happy man.”
Wike recalled that when Odili was to run for Presidency, a large crowd followed him happily.
But he said when the issue of governorship of Rivers State was to be decided and he did not give those who wanted it, they all left him, ran to Abuja to thwart his presidential ambition.
Wike, however, said he had been holding on to the advice of Odili, hence he was not surprised at the turn of events and the outcome of the PDP presidential primary.
The Nation