2023 Election: I’m not running to negotiate for Vice president ― Wike

Rivers state governor and Presidential aspirant under Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governor Nyesom Wike has disclosed that he was not running to negotiate for vice President but he was running to be one of the next presidents of Nigeria.

According to him, the challenges bedeviling the country which insecurity was top on the list doesn’t need only armament or weapons alone but credible intelligence.

Gov. Wike spoke who spoke in Calabar on Wednesday while declaring his intentions to run for the office of President said he was running to win the race and not for the sake of being counted as a one-time presidential aspirant.

Wike said: “I want to make myself available to the people of Cross River, Nigerians at large, I want everyone to know that I will run for the office of president.

“I’m not running for running sake, I don’t want to be recognized as a presidential aspirant, I’m going to run, get the ticket and win the presidential seat.

“Let be known, I’m not running to negotiate for vice president, I’m running to be the president of Nigeria, I have not collected senate form for anyone to hold for me, I’m not collecting any other form, the only for I have collected is presidential form and I will win.

“There is time for everything, I want you to see me face to face, how do you vote for someone you have not seen, so many others are sending people, but I cane myself because I respect every one of you.

“I have too much energy, competence and capacity for the job, I’m not sending proxies, I am touring Nigeria, I will go everywhere myself. Nigeria requires people who have energy .“Some people are clamouring for consensus, if you don’t have what it takes then you don’t have it, you can’t aspire to become Nigeria’s president by consensus, I don’t believe in that nonsense. I don’t deceive people, what you can’t do u can’t do. The only way it would work by consensus is if it’s based on a consensus with equity, truth and fairness

“I am here for Nigerians, the grassroots, I’m not for the elites but for Nigerians, our country requires a fearless and courageous leader. All I want to do is to win elections for PDP, forget about my face, the important thing is to win election for the PDP,” he said

Speaking about the level of insecurity in the country he asserted that beyond weapons and armament, what we really need was credible intelligence adding that if we must win the war against insecurity we must invest in intelligence.

“You can’t talk about fighting insecurity without intelligence It’s not armament or weapon but intelligence. Part of the problem we have in fighting insecurity is that we are not using intelligence, we need to spend more money on intelligence to get results.

“Without protection of lives and property there is no government, whether you build roads, development the agricultural sector it is those that are alive that will use the roads or cultivate the farms,” Wike said.

Reacting to recent the Federal High ruling on Gov. Ayade’s defection, he said it was a good thing to test the law adding that it would strengthen our democracy and stop political harlotry which has dominated our polity.

“To test the law is good, we are fighting to strengthen our democracy, we want the court to make a pronouncement, whether our country will continue to be like this, whether we win or lose, we need to check political harlots in our country, it is a good thing for our law.

On his part former Cross River state governor, Mr Donald Duke said Nigeria was becoming an embarrassment in the committee of nations across the world because of our lack of leadership.

” We are becoming a disgrace, an embarrassment to the committee of nations, almost in every sector we are found wanting,” he said.