Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will announce its presidential candidate for 2023 soon.
The governor made this known on Tuesday when he dedicated the Rukpokwu-Igwuruta Link Road in the state’s Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
Wike urged the people of the state to vote for PDP candidates for governor, National Assembly, and state House of Assembly.
He did, however, tell the people that the decision on who the state will support in the presidential election on February 25, 2023, will be made after deliberations.
“Are you going to vote for our governor?” Will you cast your ballot for our Senatorial candidate? Will you vote for candidates for the House of Representatives? Will you vote for a candidate for the House of Assembly?” Wike addressed a large crowd of supporters who chanted “Yes.”
“Then I’ll come over to the other one and tell you where you’ll vote.” All I can say is don’t worry, relax, and remember to vote for the people I mentioned. We will meet very soon to decide where we are going,” he added.
Wike, a PDP governor who is feuding with his party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had promised logistics support for the campaigns of the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recently commissioned Rivers projects.
Last week, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, an ally of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, told Wike that the former Lagos governor does not require logistical support, but rather the votes of Rivers residents.
With the 2023 presidential election just three months away, there are concerns that intra-party squabbles between Wike and Atiku over the chairmanship of Iyorchia Ayu will harm Wike’s chances in the polls next February.
Wike and four other PDP governors, known as the G5 or the Integrity Group, want Benue-born Ayu to step down in order for a southerner to take over the party’s dominance in the north.
While Wike and his allies have not campaigned for Atiku, it is unclear whether they will support any of the other front-runners, such as Obi, Kwankwaso, or Tinubu.
