As Wike, Udom, Ayade Eye Presidency
4 min read
A few weeks ago, the Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Wike was reported to have announced his readiness to contest the presidential election coming up in 2023. Some days after his declaration in Benue State, there were reports that some northern fans and supporters had procured the nomination form for him. Wike has already started consulting major stakeholders as he seeks the support of delegates towards realising his ambition.
Wike became the first sitting governor to have publicly declared his intention to contest the presidential election and also get the nomination form.
Shortly after Wike came the Akwa Ibom governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel. Before now, it had been reported that the Akwa Ibom governor was interested in the seat. It was also reported that some northern leaders were interested in him and were already working towards mobilising support for the realisation of that ambition.
Aftermath Of Ebonyi Verdict: Ayade Should Quit Honourably -SAN
Just like Wike, the nomination form has already been procured for Udom. His own was reported to have been procured by an Abuja based radio station and handed over to him to fill and submit. But unlike Wike, Udom has not started any serious moves towards realising the dream.
Apart from Wike and Udom, their Cross River State counterpart, Prof Ben Ayade. He is also believed to be nursing the presidential ambition, even though he is yet to make an open declaration of get people to also buy the nomination form for him. So, for now, his ambition remains in the realm of speculations.
We believe that Wike and Udom are within the law in the exercise of their rights to seek to be elected to occupy the highest office of the land. So also does Ayade. They all have the right to present themselves for election as president of the country.
However, Wike has already announced that if his party, the PDP, decides to zone the seat to the northern part of the state, he would drop his ambition. Udom has not said anything along that line. He has not even started talking about the ambition.
It is our belief that they must have done their homework very well before deciding to present themselves for the election. They must have also assessed their financial capacity. They must equally have prepared themselves to accept whatever comes out at the end of the day.
They are, however, not the first set of governors from the south south to have nursed the ambition to contest the presidential election while in office. Dr Peter Odili has passed through that route. And in doing that, the north became the greatest beneficiaries of the project. So much of Rivers money was said to have been spent in an effort to please some northern concerns, all in a bid to get their buy in. eventually, he never got it. He lost out and all the resources spent went down the drain. Rivers money, as it was alleged, was wasted on the project.
It is our hope that Wike and Udom do not pass through that route again. Wike, for example, made his intention known in far-away Benue State, north central Nigeria. His nomination form was also bought and presented to him by some northerners. And strangely, Wike has now started dressing in the northern attire of agbada and a cap to match. He is now spending more of his time in the north.
We are afraid that Wike and Udom may be going the same way that Odili went. If they do the exact same things that Odili did, it is very likely that they will achieve the same result that Odili achieved.
Royal Father Worried As Residents Flee Over Killings In Rivers Community
We would have expected the contenders to learn from the Odili experience and try to avoid the banana peel. We do not think there is anything wrong in trying to court the north. But in doing so, it is our view that they should be cautious and careful in their spending-both in terms of the cash and time they spend trying to please the north, while ignoring stakeholders from the south who are equally important towards the realisation of their presidential dreams.
We also believe that as much as they have the right to move around to solicit support for their ambition, governance in their states should not suffer. There is still up to a year to the end of their tenure as governors of their respective states. Abandoning governance for politics at this time will be self- serving and against the interest of the masses.
As much as we are not against their ambition, we are urging them to strike a balance in all they do, so that the people who gave them the current mandate can easily give them a mandate for higher responsibilities.
