Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has expressed confidence that whoever he adopts as candidate will be victorious at the February 25 presidential poll.

The governor said the insults being hurled at him would not make him to change his mind on working for his yet-to-named preferred presidential candidate.

Wike and the other G-5 governors – Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Ikpeazu Okezie (Abia); Ifeayi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue) – have vowed not to back the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, at the poll.

The withdrawal of support for their party’s standard bearer was occasioned by the refusal of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to step down as the opposition party’s national chairman.

He described his abusers as those who cannot mobilise 25 votes in their constituencies for any candidate.

The governor spoke yesterday at the kick-off of the construction of Akpabu-Egbeda-Omoku Link Road in Egbeda, Emohua Local Government Area.

He said he would concentrate on mobilising support for his candidate rather than join issues with his detractors, who had lost focus.

Wike wondered why people abandoned much political work waiting for them to delight themselves in abusing leaders of the party.

He said such behaviour would only attract dire political consequences because they would end up in bitter tears when the reality of their political loss would stare them in the face eventually.

The governor said: “If anybody likes, say what you want to say that I am working for so and so person, it’s their business, say that I am not working for so and so person, it’s their business.

“That will not make me change my mind where we are heading to. Do you understand me? So, if they like, they can make speculation. After all, that is why the word, speculation is there.

“Some of them, who do not have 25 votes, are busy abusing leaders. When you finished abusing leaders (us), you will pay.”

Wike said that, he and his team were already on ground and in the political field talking to the people and soliciting their votes.

Reiterating that only those who bring development should reap the votes of the electorate, Wike said: “We are here talking to our people, they are there in radio stations and television houses. We are here talking to our people. When you are finished, by that time, it’ll be too late.

“Be bold to ask such politicians when they come, ‘what did you bring for us?’ ‘You come with empty hand; you will go with empty hand’. ‘You come with project, we give you votes’. ‘You come with promises, we give you promises’.”

Thanking the Egbeda community for the support to his administration since 2015, Wike said that he had long promised one of their sons, David Omereji, to bring democratic dividend to his community.

He said the link road was one of such promises, noting that a former governor, whose mother hails from the community, would described the project as not necessary and waste of resources.

Wike: “You see, your mother is from here. You didn’t deem it fit or necessary to do anything for your maternal home.

“Now, we that our mother is not from here, we are doing something to help your maternal home. You say it is unnecessary, it is a waste of resources.

“When you have a bad child, he is a bad child. If he is not a bad child, he should thank us for removing shame from his face. Since you don’t have shame, I will add more things for your maternal home.”

Wike announced the award of contract for the reconstruction of the internal roads within Egbeda community.

Emohua Local Government Area Chairman, Dr. Chidi Lloyd thanked the governor for building the road, adding that the people of the area would speak with their votes in appreciation during the upcoming elections. (The Nation: Text, excluding headline)

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