2023: Wike unveils his presidential candidate

Governor Nyesom Wike on Saturday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stands a better chance of winning the 2023 presidential election if his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, emerges as the party’s candidate for the polls.

Wike made this endorsement when he paid Governor Mohammed a special visit to Bauchi State.

The governor believes Nigeria made a mistake choosing President Muhammadu Buhari as their leader in 2015 but noted that the PDP must now take responsibility to provide the nation with the leadership it needs.

According to him, the PDP must return to power and save the country from misrule.

“One of my resolutions for the year 2022 is to make sure that Nigeria is better than what it was last year. It is also to make sure that the PDP is united because if the PDP makes the mistake of not listening to Nigerians, it will be very difficult for God to forgive the PDP.

“This is an opportunity to save Nigeria. We Christians know that when the Israelites were in problems, God had to bring Moses to lead them. Nigeria is in serious problems now and it is the PDP that will lead Nigeria out of these problems. So, we must take that responsibility. I’ll prefer that if God makes it that the ticket falls on him (Bala Mohammed), it means our chances are very, very bright.

“This insecurity, this is not the kind of Nigeria we want, it is not the Nigeria where every day you wake up in the morning, the newspaper says, ‘40 people have been killed…’ These deaths are caused by the inability of the so-called government to protect us.”

The Rivers State governor said Mr Mohammed is more than qualified to become the next President of Nigeria, adding that the antecedents and achievements of the Bauchi State governor in the last few years showed that he is capable of transforming the nation.

In the same vein, Wike faulted the signing of the 2022 budget of N17.127trillion into law, saying Nigerians made a mistake choosing Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015.

According to him, Buhari had no business signing the budget when he was well aware that the bill was riddled with a plethora of unimplementable projects.

He said Buhari, who knew the importance of the document, should have returned it to the National Assembly for corrections to be effected before assenting to the bill.

Wike expressed worry over the state of leadership recruitment in the country and re-emphasized that the PDP must take responsibility to avail Nigerians a just and effective leadership that transcends all biases that bedevil the nation.