ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has described his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, as being more than qualified to be the next President of Nigeria.
Governor Wike noted that the antecedents and qualifications of Governor Mohammed, and his achievements in just over two years in office, shows that he can rule the country effectively.
He stated this while answering questions from journalists during a one day visit to Bauchi State on Saturday.
He said: “My brother, Bala, has gathered a lot of experiences, he was a Director in the Ministry, he became a Senator, then a minister and now a governor. And with these alone, he is qualified to be president.
“Then, you’ll also look at what he is doing in Bauchi, look at his pedigree, as a first time governor. I was here to flag off projects, some many of my colleagues were also here to do the same, how many first time governors do you see doing that?
“So, the call for him to become President is not misplaced at all, at all. Bala is someone who is qualified to run for President of this country. He is overqualified. In any ramification you want to look at it from, his relationship with people is second to none, so people calling on him to run for President, have seen the qualities in him.
“For me to leave my state and come here on a day like this, I hold him high to come here. This is the first place I am coming to, I haven’t even gone to see my parents, I’ve not seen my community, we’ve not received anybody. I just decided that the place I must be is Bauchi because our the friendship we have,” he stated.
He lamented that Nigeria is in serious crisis at the moment with insecurity taking a toll on the citizens, pointing out that it was time for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power and save the country.
He said: “One of my resolutions for the year 2022, is to make sure that Nigeria is better than what it was last year. It is also to make sure that the PDP is united because if the PDP makes the mistake of not listening to Nigerians, it will be very difficult for God to forgive the PDP.
“This an opportunity to save Nigeria. We, Christians, know that when the Israelites were in problems, God had to bring Moses to lead them. Nigeria is in serious problems now and it is PDP that will lead Nigeria out of these problems. So, we must take that responsibility. I’ll prefer that if God makes it that the ticket falls on him (Bala Mohammed), it means our chances are very, very brighter.
“This insecurity, this is not the kind of Nigeria we want, it is not the Nigeria where everyday you wake up in the morning, the newspaper says, “40 people have been killed…”There is no day in Nigeria that people are not being killed. If you’re going to the market, you die, you’re going to the office, you die, so these deaths are not caused by those dying, they are caused by the inability of the so-called government to protect us.
“The whole responsibility of government is to protect lives and properties and once that is not there, there is no governance. People must be allowed to use the roads, they must be allowed to use the health facilities, they must be allowed to go to school, they must be allowed to go to the farm. Now, there are no more farmers, if your wife or your son go, they will take (kidnap) them. These are the kind of things we continue to hear and is that the kind of Nigeria that you bargained for?
“Am sure, if you have another opportunity to go back to the womb, I don’t think you will want to come out here (in Nigeria) again. With what is going on, nobody will want to come out here, but God does not make mistakes. For whatever is happening, God has a reason for it. But we must continue to pray to God so that this kind of mistake will not happen again because we can’t continue like that.”
In his response, Bala Mohammed, described Wike as tough and the face of PDP whom he looks up to as a leader.
He said: “Wike is always full of pleasant surprises and today’s visit has exhilarated a feeling in me that I have more than a brother in the Rivers State governor. I have always looked up to him, he is a leader not because he is a governor or because he has money, but the stuff he’s made up of.
“He’s a very tough stuff and he is the face of PDP today. If the face of PDP in Nigeria will leave Rivers and come to Bauchi today, I think my day has been made. Wike and I are connected and what we are after is the unity, progress and development of Nigeria.”
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