Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Governor, on Monday, September 5, 2022, vowed that he will personally crush his opponents in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, rather than leave the battle to God.
Wike who has been locked in a war of attrition with the presidential candidate of his party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the party apparatchik, said God has given him all that he needs to destroy his enemies in the party and there was no need for him to wait on God to complete the job.
The Governor insisted that he had the capacity to flog those opposing him, whom he described as small boys, saying he can’t wait to “flog them with pepper.”
Wike, who spoke in tongues to the amusement of the crowd, said efforts by some of his party leaders to break their ranks would end in futility.
The Governor, who spoke on Monday while inaugurating the Osisioma Flyover built in Aba, Abia State, by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, said persons trying to infiltrate his team to weaken their resolve failed to understand their modus operandi.
Speaking on his response when Ikpeazu suggested he should leave matters to God, Wike said: “I was on a plane with him and we were discussing and he said why won’t I leave this thing for God and I said what do you mean by that?
“Why are you overcrowding God? God has given me what it takes for me to crush these people, for me to crush my enemies and you are telling me I should leave it for God. No. God has given me what it takes. God has so many things to do. There are the ones I should do and there are the ones I should call God.
“Now that I know I have the capacity to flog these small boys and you want me to go and leave it for God. I am going to flog them pepper. Anybody who doesn’t understand that let him know that I am not going to wait at all. All those ones who are talking in my state calm down, when we start campaigning, we will know who is who”.
On efforts to infiltrate their ranks, he said: “I don’t associate myself with those who cannot show anything. I associate myself with people I know have something to offer. Ikpeazu I want to say it without fear or favour and without any contradiction, you are a man that knows what to do for his people.
“I and Ikpeazu have come a long way. People do not understand relationship. They think relationship can be bought with money. No relationship can be bought with me. That is why when I read on pages of newspapers, they said some people were making attempts to break my rank and I say they don’t understand the modus operandi of what we are doing.
“If they understand the modus operandi, they won’t waste their time. If you like go and meet Ikpeazu, Seyi, Ortom, Ugwuanyi, you don’t even understand the modus operandi. These are not the people doing what you are seeing. We are using ourselves as if we are the people. We are not the people so you are making mistakes”.
Wike told the crowd that the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, described Ikpeazu as a boy because they were seeking justice and fairness in the party.
The Governor said the party had distributed positions to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and former Senate President Bukola Saraki but had nothing to offer Abia State.
He said even government positions such as Senate Presidency and Secretary to Federal Government had been allotted to people without anything yet for Abia.
He said: “All those they are fighting are those who are projecting their party. They said that Abia State Governor is a boy, Wike is a boy, Seyi is a boy, Ortom is a boy and Enugu is a boy see what the boys are doing. They that are the men should show us what they are doing.
“Why is Ikpeazu a boy? It is because Ikpeazu said agreement is agreement. You told me you will do this, now time has come for you to do it you don’t want to do it. Is it good? Ikpeazu said look you have shared to this one, you shared to Atiku, you shared to Okowa and you shared to Saraki, which one did you share to Ikpeazu?
“When you are sharing Senate President to so so person, you shared secretary to government to so so person, which one have you given to the people of Abia.
“Nobody should bother about any abuses on me. I don’t even know whether they are abusing me. If they like let them put everything in social media and abuse me, we will know who is relevant or not at the appropriate time.
“Politics is not to go on pages of newspaper. It is not to go and buy TV spots and talk. Politics is who will deliver at the appropriate time. That is the key. If you like keep abusing me.
“What is important is when the time comes, we will know. When the jungle matures we will know those who can stand crisis. We will know those who have the capacity to say this is where our state will go.
“Ikpeazu is one of those governors with the capacity to decide what the people of Abia will do. So don’t bother yourselves. When I wake up in the morning and nothing had been said against me I am worried because it makes me happy when they talk about Wike. I appeal to them don’t stop keep talking about Wike.
“We have not started campaign. When I came back yesterday where I went to enjoy myself; life is full of enjoyment. I went to enjoy my life and they said I went for a meeting. My business now is to work and enjoy”.
