Wike, Diri Insist Only PDP Can Save Nigeria, Urge Synergy Among Party’s Governors

BAYELSA State Governor, Douye Diri and his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) producing the next President of Nigeria in 2023 remain bright.

  They stated this when Wike visited Diri at the Government House in Yenagoa, just as Diri insisted that only the PDP could rescue Nigeria from insecurity and economic woes.

  Diri, who described the presidency as a sacred office, said the party has been repositioned to ensure it wins the presidency in the 2023 general election.

  A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Daniel Alabrah, quoted him as saying that the PDP was the only party with the pedigree to give Nigerians hope and a sense of direction.

  He said: “The presidency is one sacred office and we must do everything to protect it and ensure that our party clinches victory at the 2023 general polls.

  “The number one thing for our party is our unity. The second is who becomes president. We have a capable national chairman that can steer us back to power come 2023.”

  Commending Wike for showing leadership and purposeful governance, he stressed that states in the Niger Delta needed to unite more to tackle their common challenges, particularly in the areas of environmental pollution and underdevelopment.

  “Bayelsa and Rivers states are brothers and sisters historically and culturally and if anyone is trying to divide us, we must come against them.

  “I call on Ijaw leaders to come together and resolve whatever issues we may have amicably. Within a family, we will always have issues but that should not remove our brotherliness,” Diri said.

  He stressed the need for more consultations between him and his Rivers counterpart towards strengthening their bond of unity.

  Diri also commended Wike for his role in ensuring the repositioning of the PDP, describing him as s committed party man.

  Speaking, Wike expressed confidence that the PDP will produce the next president of Nigeria, adding that Nigerians were waiting for the party to rescue them from the current situation in the country, stressing that leaders and members of the party cannot afford to miss this opportunity.

  Wike emphasised the need for unity of purpose between Bayelsa and Rivers and the entire PDP, saying without a united front, success would be elusive.

  He also commended his Bayelsa counterpart for his developmental efforts and commitment to the party and urged the people of the state to continue to support him.

  “Today, I came to let everybody know that Senator Douye Diri is one of the governors I can tell you has shown commitment even though he is new and he believes in the development of his state. I am not someone that will come and say what is not correct.

  “I have also come to tell him that everybody must work together to make the PDP united because without party there cannot be a presidential candidate. Let us all unite.

  “Nigerians are waiting for PDP and we cannot afford to miss this opportunity. As governors, we must work together. Anybody can be presidential candidate, but if we are not united it cannot be possible,” Wike said.

  The Rivers governor was accompanied on the visit by a high-powered delegation that included a former Rivers governor, Celestine Omehia, two former Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara and Chibudom Nwuche, as well as a former Minister of Transportation, Abiye Sekibo.