Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused some elders in the state have been accused of ganging up against Governor Nyesom Wike.
The claimed that elders ganged up against him because they did not scale through the primary to be the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The governor explained that some of the elders failed in their bid to become the party’s governorship candidate. According to him, after this, they mobilise to Abuja to ensure that he did not emerge as the running mate of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, The PUNCH reports.
The governor made this known during the 74th birthday reception organised to honour a former governor of the state, Dr Peter Odili, at his residence in Old Government Residential Area, Port Harcourt.
“On my last birthday, 12midnight, one of our elders called me that they want to see me. They came to me and said they came to wish me a happy birthday.
“Then, they presented me a letter that I should run for president. All of them, including Dr Abiye (Sekibo) signed the document. “I said ‘okay, you people too should go and give me someone who will be governor after me.’ They all sat there, looking left and right.
“I asked them, ‘those of you who are interested to be governor should raise your hands.’ Everybody raised his hand. One person didn’t raise his hand, Senator Bari Mpigi.
“I asked why he was not interested, and he replied, ‘sir, let me hold what God has given me. I don’t want to lose the two.” Wike noted the elders also signed a document that they would abide by the outcome of the governorship primary.
He added: “Some persons don’t know the history. They go and tell all kinds of stories. But the truth is this: all of them (elders) signed the document prepared by O.C.J. Okocha that whoever I will bring, they will abide by it.
“But now, they went to Abuja, that I must not be vice president. I also read yesterday when I was in Paris, one of them saying that I told him that if they do to me what they did to Dr Odili, I will collapse the system.
“I am not an ungrateful person and I will never be ungrateful in my life. What is important is that I have done well as a governor. I am happy and I am leaving office a happy man.”
