Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday took on his Kano State counterpart, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, telling him that he would not be able to sway the voters in Edo State with his famed “illicit” access to the dollar in the September 19 governorship election.
Wike and Ganduje are heading the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign councils respectively.
“So, Ganduje, your dollar will not work in Edo State, we have integrity in our party,” he said in Abuja after he was inaugurated along with other members of the campaign council.
Wike was replying to the threat by Ganduje, that he would be isolated at an isolation centre for the APC to win the impending poll.
He said he was not the target of the isolation plan but the people whose votes the APC intended to manipulate with the help of the security agencies.
But Ganduje yesterday restated that the APC would win the forthcoming governorship election.
He said Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who is the PDP’s candidate in the election would lose to his APC’s rival, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because the governor had not done much to deserve a second term.
Speaking yesterday at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja Wike replied Ganduje: “But let us understand the statement made by Ganduje; don’t look at it ordinarily. What Ganduje said is that they have concluded with security agencies to make sure that the people of Edo State do not protect and defend their votes; that they will not allow them to come out and before you know it, they will announce the result. So, he just used me to say that they will isolate me; no I am not at his level.
“What he was telling Nigerians is look in this election, we shall make sure that Edo people do not come out to vote; even if they vote, we will not allow them to protect and defend their votes.
“Edo people – now they have told you that they will not allow you to vote and even if you vote, they will not allow you to protect and defend your votes. It is a direct challenge to all of you leaders here from Edo State, because we members of the campaign council, we cannot vote because we did not register to vote in Edo State.”
Wike also warned security agencies not to take sides during the election.
He warned: “Any attempt to rig this election in Edo State, then we will all know whether it is better for us to remain here or not because Edo people have spoken and it is very clear. Let nobody make any attempt, Edo State has come back to the PDP.
“This election, we will win it and win it very well. Nobody can intimidate us.”
Wike said if anyone should be isolated; it must be Ganduje for his lack of moral integrity.
According to him, “A man who pockets dollar in babarriga from contractors is not isolated and you say that I should be isolated. In this country, where are we heading to?
“Let me tell you why they made Ganduje the chairman of the campaign council, it is because of the dollar they saw. But for dollar, Ganduje could not have been made the chairman of the campaign council. But what he doesn’t understand is that we from the Niger Delta, we shall chop his dollar and we will chop him into a comma.
“So, Ganduje, your dollar will not work in Edo State, we have integrity in our party.
“How do you think we shall lose the election in Edo State? In 2016, we never knew the candidate had a lot of problems and that was why the people of Edo State listened to Oshiomhole at that time – you can see a party that has no principle.
“A man that they said poured acid on another person’s manhood. I didn’t say so – it was Oshiomhole that said so. And to tell you that you can never trust this government, and they said that the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Anti -Corruption was the chairman of the panel that indicted their so-called candidate now. Prof. Itse Sagay, speak up now, tell Nigerians whether you are the one that indicted him or not.
“Oshiomhole said that this man that called himself a pastor is a terrible liar; so, they know that they have no candidate.”
He said he accepted to head the campaign council to ensure PDP’s victory in the election.
“Let me state that the terms of reference are very clear that we should make sure that the result is according to the will of Edo people, I want to assure you that by the grace of God nothing will stop us from victory,” he stated.
He commended the governorship aspirants for accepting to work together, explaining that is why Obaseki is not having a sleepless night, he can now rest well, no litigation and that is what is expected of an opposition party.
“I urge the leadership of the party to make sure that we have the same thing in Ondo State so that Ondo will be in the kitty of PDP come October,” Wike said.
