Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who was recently re-elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, is free to return to the All Progressives Congress, but he won’t consider such an action because of the people of the state, who stood by him when the chips were down.
Wike expressed hope that the Edo State governor would never forget that he was given an umbrella by the PDP when he was left in the rain.
The Rivers State governor spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday.
When asked what he would do if Obaseki left the PDP, Wike said, “I don’t want to discuss something that is not going to be possible. However, assuming it happens, so what? That is politics.
“If the governor believes that the PDP is no longer a party for him to actualise his vision and his mission, there is nothing wrong, but I don’t believe that it is going to happen because the governor has consistently told us that there is no way he will leave the PDP. If he leaves the PDP, people in Edo State will not be happy.
“And he is somebody I have that trust in that he will not leave the party. This is a party that clothed him. This is a party that when it was raining, gave him an umbrella.”
Wike, however, stated contrary to Nigerians’ belief, he did not play such a big role in Obaseki’s re-election as he was only the chairman of the campaign council.
He said he merely supervised the campaign, presented strategies and gave guidance.
The Rivers governor said it would be wrong of anyone to attribute PDP’s victory in the Edo election to him when others like Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, played their roles.
Wike stated that he did not bankroll Obaseki’s campaign because the Edo governor already had enough money to execute his campaign.
“What resources could I have deployed? He is a sitting governor. What resources can I give him that he does not have?” he asked.