Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State has declared his intention to run for president in the 2023 election.
Wike who disclosed his intention to run for the highest office in the land on Sunday when he visited Benue state to consult stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, expressed confidence that PDP would win the presidency in the next election, said his decision to contest is to take back power from the APC.
This is just as he shaded those who, according to him, abandoned the PDP in the lead up to 2015 presidential election, but now wants to be president under its platform.
“If you’re running election, power isn’t given for free; it is taken. I’ve come out and I’m going to take this power from APC back to PDP by the grace of God,” he said.
“God has given us what it takes. That’s why God is making APC to make mistake everyday and that is how you know that God is with you,” he added.
Wike, who said he has what it takes to win the election, said he had stood with the PDP when many members “ran away”, adding that if elected, he will be close to the people.
“Those who want to be president now were the problems of the party in 2015. They ran away when the party needed them most. But I have stood and worked for this party. I have nowhere to run to because I take it personally that the party should not die. And I challenge anyone in a debate what they did for PDP,” Wike said.
Present at the event was Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue State.
Meanwhile, during his visit to Benue, the Rivers governor donated N200 million each to Katsina Ala and Makurdi LGAs to support victims of recent fire outbreaks in the areas.