I’ll Announce My Presidential Candidate In January – Wike

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has said that he will tell people in January 2023 who his top choice for president is.

The governor said this on Thursday, and he also said that he will campaign for his candidate all over the country.

In the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers, Wike declared when he commissioned the tenth flyover by his administration, “I will campaign to my people about whom they will vote for from January next year.”

“So, all of you who have been waiting and who have been insulting me with all kinds of things, wait. January has arrived.

“I won’t just tell them (my followers) who to vote for; I’ll travel from state to state (during elections) and explain why they should,” he declared.

Following his defeat in the PDP presidential primaries in May, Wike and Atiku Abubakar have been at odds over who will lead Iyorchia Ayu.

After the presidential primary, former Vice President Atiku hurt Wike by selecting Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running partner rather than his closest challenger.

In order to support Atiku’s bid for the presidency in 2023, Wike and the other four PDP governors, collectively known as the G5 or the Integrity Group, have demanded that Ayu, who was born in Benue, resign and be replaced by a southerner.

In an effort to end the conflict, the Director General of Atiku’s Campaign, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, visited Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, a G5 member and one of Wike’s allies, earlier in December. However, no progress was made.

Later that day, Atiku said there was no imminent resolution to the problem despite his five meetings with Wike on Channels Television’s The People’s Townhall. Atiku, who had been in Benue earlier this month for campaigning, as a result, received a cold shoulder from Ortom and Wike.

Last month, Wike promised logistical support for the presidential campaigns of the Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi and the New Nigeria People’s Party’s (NNPP) Rabiu Kwankwaso. Wike has also recently socialized with All Progressives Congress (APC) luminaries, including Adams Oshiomhole and the governors of Ebonyi, Lagos, and Cross River).

Although Wike and his associates have not been seen supporting Atiku, it is unclear if they will back Obi, Kwankwaso, or Bola Tinubu of the APC in the race for Aso Rock’s top position.