By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Thursday said the decision on which presidential candidate to moblise votes for in the forthcoming 2023 general election has been taken and will be revealed in January, 2023.
Wike spoke at the inauguration of the Rumuokwurusi- Elimgbu Flyover (10th flyover) in Rumuokwurusi Town, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area on Thursday.
The governor assured that, from January 2023, he would first embark on a state-wide campaign tour to tell Rivers people who they should vote.
Thereafter, he informed that he would undertake a nationwide campaign tour to tell Nigerians the most preferred presidential candidate requiring their votes.
He said Nigerians needed to know a reliable candidate that they could trust to deliver the needed national transformation with the expected capability and results.
“So, from January next year, I will campaign and tell my people who they should vote for. So, all of you who have been in suspense. Who have been saying all kinds of things, abusing me, wait, January has come. Not only will I tell them where they will vote, I will move from state to state and tell them why they should vote for the people I think they should vote for. Nothing will happen,” he said.
Wike pointed to the ills some people had caused with their political inconsistency, associations and philosophy and wondered if they could in good conscience say they have been fair to Nigerians and were fit to lead them.
Wike insisted that going into an election and winning the needed victory was beyond mere appearances on television shows, casting aspersions on others and talking big.
“So, all of you appearing on television abusing me, don’t waste your saliva again. January has come. All those of you who are telling Nigerians that you used to have 40 shoes, you used to have 50 wrist watches, time has come to convert those shoes and wrist watches to votes. It’s not to be on the podium and raise your shoes high. And raise your wrist watch high. Time has come to convert it to votes,” he added.
Wike also advised some Rivers politicians who now reside in Abuja to know that the 2023 election will confirm who truly has political influence on Rivers electorate.
He said 2023 general election would also be used to retire some politicians, and urged then to return home and do their campaigns.
The governor said the State government was not opposed to any political party or group holding political rallies. He reiterated that any party or group planning to use government owned schools should be ready to pay the non-refundable security fee.
He urged those politicians to stop telling lies and be bold to let their people know what they have capacity to do and cannot do.
