…Says ‘It’s Handiwork Of Mischief Makers
Rivers State Governor, Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo has distanced himself from the campaign posters bearing his name which flooded some major streets of Abuja on Monday.
A statement by Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim said Governor Wike has not informed anyone that he is interested in the Presidency of the country.
“This is certainly the handiwork of mischief makers who are threatened by the Governor’s rising political profile.
“We are amused that political detractors will stop at nothing to see how they can distract Governor Wike’s visionary leadership”, he said.
The statement added that for the umpteenth time, Governor Wike has insisted that he is presently preoccupied with his mission to make Rivers State a better place and Destination of Choice.
He stressed that all the puerile antics of political jobbers aimed at heating up the polity would fail while urging the general public to discountenance the misinformation that is currently circulating in Abuja.
It would be recalled that Presidential campaign posters bearing the name and pictures of Governor Wike surfaced in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The governor who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, is serving his second and final term of four years as Governor of Rivers State.
Wike’s posters were posted in strategic locations on the popular Herbert Macaulay Way in the Central Business District of the FCT.
Some were seen pasted on the fence of a building that served as the Buhari/ Osinbajo Presidential Campaign Office in 2015 and 2019.
Some others were seen posted close to the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and also opposite the Nigeria Defence College popularly called War College.
One of the posters bears the picture of the governor in the traditional South-South wear with a bowler hat to match, while he was dressed in a Northern outfit with a cap to match in the second poster.
There has been speculation that Wike may be considering a joint presidential ticket with his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, for the 2023 election.
Tambuwal, who is also serving his second and final term as the governor of the Northern state on the platform of the PDP was one of those invited by Wike to inaugurate some projects in his state recently.
He contested for the PDP’s presidential ticket for the 2019 general election and lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Tambuwal enjoyed Wike’s support for that primary election held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
Wike had also last week pledged a donation of N500m to victims of the market fire in Sokoto State.
The pledge attracted criticism to the governor from opposition political parties and others.
