RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the people of the state already know which candidate he wants them to vote for in the 2023 presidential election.
He spoke at a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally at Port Harcourt City Local Government Area on Wednesday, February 1.
He noted that those who expect him to publicly declare his preferred presidential candidate, as he had promised in December last year, will be disappointed.
Responding to a challenge by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in 2015, Dakuku Peterside, who dared him to declare his preferred presidential candidate, Wike said he never promised to make a public declaration on his preferred candidate.
He stated that he never told anyone that he would face the cameras to announce his preferred candidate but that he told Rivers people which candidate they would support.
The governor further explained that he never stated the method of informing the people and never promised to hold live coverage to declare it.
“I never told anybody I will face cameras to announce to you this is who we will vote. I said I will tell Rivers people the candidate they will support. I did not state the method of telling it. I did not say I will hold live coverage to declare it,” he said.
He added that the people of Rivers already know who he supports and that those who expect him to make a public declaration are “mumu” (foolish) people who have never won in politics.
The governor also accused the State Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, of not doing enough to check perceived infractions on election campaigns by opposition parties in the state.
He accused Effiong of shying away from his responsibilities and warned that he would take over his job and unleash the Neighborhood Watch, a community policing outfit established by the state, on opposition parties if the CP did not perform his duties properly.
