The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has said that there will not be no Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if the interest of the state is not considered paramount.
He said that the upcoming election would prove the strategic political importance of the state.
Speaking on Monday at the flag-off of construction work of the Elele Civic Centre in the Elele Internal Roads, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, the Governor insisted that Rivers cannot continue to be a dumping ground where the interests of the people are considered inconsequential.
He argued that the state plays a pivotal role in the national affairs of the country and that is why when they decide to support an individual, the gesture has to be reciprocated.
He warned those in Abuja who were issuing political threats against the state to have a rethink or they would have issues.
Wike recounted how Rivers refused to enter into a negotiation with the All Progressives Congress and did not give President Muhammadu Buhari 25% votes in the 2019 election despite the heavy military presence in the state.
He argued that Rivers ranks higher above other state, boasting that people ought to shiver when it talks.
Given the 2023 general elections, the Rivers State governor disclosed that some politicians have started mounting pressure on the National Assembly to speedily pass the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) N500bn budget.
“Since NDDC was established, look at the money that has gone into NDDC. What can we show for it? The NDDC has become a cash cow for politicians. The President has just inaugurated the new board of the NDDC. Do you know what is going on now? There is a N500bn budget for NDDC. The election is coming on 25th February, Now, what the politicians have done is to put pressure on the National Assembly so that they will pass the N500bn budget for NDDC.”
He explained that some politicians with vested interest in the 2023 general elections have already determined how the NDDC budget will be siphoned, and if they succeed, the region will further suffer.
Governor Wike said it is regrettable that those who superintend over the affairs of the NDDC are sons and daughters of the oil-producing States, yet, the commission has never deemed it appropriate to seek the input of these states in its budget preparation.
