The Rivers State branch of the All Progressive Congress [APC] has expressed its eagerness to welcome Nyesom Wike, the former governor of the state in the event he cross carpet to the ruling party.
Chief Tony Okocha, a chieftain of the APC and former Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, stated this at a news briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
This comes as a result of speculations that Wike may dump the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] for the APC.
Speaking at the briefing, Okocha who was the Coordinator of the BAT-Vanguard, an acronym for the disbanded Bola Ahmed Tinubu Vanguard in the South-South stated that Wike has the right to join any party.
He stated that the part Wike played in the emergence of Tinubu as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, can not be overemphasized. he also noted that some persons who did not work to ensure Tinubu’s victory, want to reap where they did not sow.
Okocha stated, “We are noticing that some persons who abandoned Tinubu when Tinubu needed them most and voyaged outside the shores are now relying on their personal relationships one way or the other to begin to make some sense of entitlement.
“That they are entitled to whatever. In the leadership of the Tinubu family in Rivers State, we are at peace 100 per cent with His Excellency, Barr Nyesom Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State as our leader.
“He who pays the Piper dictates the tune. When it was difficult, even when the national body could not oblige us with funds for the national rally here, the magic was done by somebody.”
He further begged on the former Rivers State Governor to join the party without any ado.
“Our demand is that nobody should rob Peter to pay Paul. Our own share of the booty given to us should be handed over to His Excellency Nyesom Wike.
“We are confident that as soon as it gets to him, he knows those who worked for Tinubu, and it will get to us.
“It is only natural, that is how it should go” he added
Okocha also used the medium to address an aide to Atiku Abubakar who alleged that Wike was not poisoned but is a victim of self-inflicted alcoholism. He stated that it was an evident case of gross disrespect from the party.
According to him, “The leadership of the PDP in Nigeria does not appreciate the influence and pedigree embedded in Wike.
“A man goes to thank God for surviving poisoning and somebody said it was not poison but as a result of excessive alcohol.
“It does appear to us that the PDP does not know what they have in Wike. So we are asking and calling on Wike to come over to Macedonia and lead us”.
