With Wike, APC is sure of 2.3m votes in Rivers, Yari declares

By Jude Opara

The Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Sen. Abdulaziz Yari has declared that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike has assured his that the party will secure about 2.3 million votes from Rivers state.

Yari declared this on Saturday at the campaign rally of the party in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.

He said that with about 3.3 million registered voters in the state, he had wanted to get the assurance of 3 million votes, but was told that would not be possible because only 2.8 million Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were collected.

“I asked how many voters registered in the state, I was told it is 3.3 million. I asked the ‘Jagaban of this rainbow coalition’. I said I’m looking for 3 million. He said it’s too much. I said I can remember some time back, like 10 years or 15 years ago, Rivers had produced 2 million votes. He told me that yes, but at that time there was no technology.

“But I told him that no. Out of 3.3 million votes registered and about 2.8 PVCs collected, I thanked the Minister of FCT who is the coordinator of Tinubu campaign in this state and also coordinator in the FCT.

“The message here from the basis, we are looking for at least nothing less than 2.3 million votes. Rivers people, are you going to support the honourable Minister to deliver Tinubu at 2.3?

“Mr. President, we thank the Rivers people. We thank the honourable Minister. We thank everyone who did this mobilization. We are happy with the mobilization. And Mr. President, you can see by yourself, this is one of the states that we are expecting nothing less than 80% to 75% by God’s grace”.

The former governor of Zamfara state equally tackled the opposition candidates Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), saying they do not possess any record of performance that equals what Tinubu did as governor of Lagos state.

“Those who happened to be in government in 1999 to 2007, whether vice president or president, they are also governments. From Atiku, to Peter Obi, to Amechi. Vice President Atiku Abubakar was elected as a governor before becoming a vice president.

“President Tinubu is the one who made the internal revenue generation of Lagos State at N600 million. But he put mechanism in place, foundation in place. Today, I got it from the governor’s office, the internal revenue is over N100 billion.

“Mr. President, we are begging you, the plan you used to take up the N600 million, now it’s N100 billion, under 25 years. We are sure you are going to lay down the same foundation for Nigeria. Your grand children will never forget you and they will ever be memorable in their mind”.

Yari thanked the government and people of Rivers state for the warm reception they received.