The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has said if the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, was a better candidate, Nigerians would have voted for him at the February polls.
Obi, a former Anambra Governor, came third in the election won by APC’s Tinubu.
The LP candidate and his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar are in court to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Tinubu as winner of the poll.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme monitored on Wednesday, Wike said he believes in President Tinubu.
When asked whether Obi would have handled the major issues confronting the Nigerian economy better than Tinubu if he had been elected, Wike said he doesn’t discuss presidential candidates any longer.
He said: “I don’t want to discuss social media issue,” the FCT minister said. “I don’t discuss about presidential candidate any longer; I discuss about the economy, the President, what he has to offer.
“If he (Obi) would have been better, Nigerians would have voted for him.”
Asked if he was going to leave PDP, he said: ” Political parties are vehicles that convey you. I’m a PDP member, unrepentable one. What has that got to do with governance, remember Obasanjo and Atiku; president and vice president in 1999, they took late Bola Ige who was an AD member, not just to become minister of power but to become Attorney General of the country.
“I never hid my intention as a PDP member, I came out that I was going to support equity, fairness and justice. I said you cannot as a party to continue the line you are going, therefore the clamour for the presidency should go to South.
“So what is new about that I’m serving in APC government? I served in PDP, I supported Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Yes. Did I hide it?. I feel at home working with Tinubu. He has given me that courage. He is a man who means well for the country.
“I’m not here to work for a party, I’m here to support the president who has the confidence in me to help him deliver the renewed hope. I owe nobody any apologies at all. I was in PDP and I worked for Tinubu to be president. In the South East and South South, there is no one state the president won except Rivers state. We don’t regret it.
“No, I’m not afraid. Who is the party? Who are the PDP people? We are waiting for the presidential panel to finish, then you’ll know thoses who are working well for the party.
“I want to support Asiwaju to finish well. Asiwaju never had one poster in Rivers. I received him well. I believe in Bola Tinubu. Just give him support and pray for him. He has the capacity. We have a lot of cabals. He has to step on toes. Those cabals don’t want to let go. We already have a mindset, and that’s so bad. Why not give him a chance
“Tinubu is my boss. He appointed me, he sets my agenda, he gives the template that this is what i want in Abuja and i want to carry it out to the letter.”
