- The immediate past governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, has been criticised for parading himself as the one who helped the All Progressives Congress (APC).
- Many political pundits and public affairs commentators have often credited the victory of APC in Rivers State to Wike.
- Meanwhile, some APC chieftains have accused Wike of chasing clout nothing that he ran to APC to save his political career.
Rivers, Port Harcourt – The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed its immediate past governor, Nyesom, for taking credit for the party’s success at the last 2023 presidential polls.
As contained in a statement made available to Legit.ng on Thursday, August 2, the Rivers State chapter of the APC stated that Wike’s recent affiliation with the party was to save his political career.
They also noted that the former minister of state for education deserved no praise for the growth of the party in the state.
APC dismissed Wike’s impact
According to a statement signed by the state publicity secretary of the APC in Rivers State, Darlington Nwajulu, the chieftains said the formation and growth of the APC in the state took “the efforts of several loyal members, who mostly lost their lives in the struggle to ensure a solid party structure in the state.
The party leaders further noted that it was unfair for President Bola Tinubu to reward a man who piloted affairs when the party faced a lot of onslaughts in the state.
The party’s statement reads:
”Our growth from 2015 to 2019 was 23.8 per cent, closing the massive gap of 2015 presidential election. Then the 2023 presidential election came in with additional 80,881 votes in favour of the APC in Rivers State.
“The question is, where is the helping hand of former Governor Wike? Can he claim to have helped Rivers APC with only 80,881 votes when our growth showed organic growth since 2019?
”Can a non-party man take over a national ruling party in a state, simply because they claim to have helped the national party in his state with just 80,881 votes when such claims couldn’t be substantiated with empirical data?”
Speaking further in the statement, the party leaders noted that Wike pitched tents with the APC to salvage his political career.
They said:
“There is evidence to prove that Wike did not work for the APC. When he found out that his political career was gone, he decided to pitch his tent with APC, just to have a comfort zone to rob the APC in Rivers State.”
Tinubu’s Ministerial List: Serious Cracks in APC over Wike’s Alleged Nomination
Meanwhile, among the names mentioned to be part of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike is reportedly on the list.
Wike was among the G-5 PDP governors that worked against their party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The former governor had served as a minister of state for education during the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
Source: Legit.ng