On Tuesday, Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, praised Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his counterpart in Lagos.
At a seminar for women in Lagos, Wike claimed that the quality of projects being completed around the state had upped the bar for governance.
![Video] Wike endorses Sanwo-Olu for 2nd term, silent on Jandor - Vanguard News](https://cdn.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Sanwo-Olu-Wike.jpg)
In his remarks, Mr. Wike, a senior member of the opposition PDP, appeared to be endorsing APC Governor Sanwo-Olu in the run-up to the 2023 elections.
“If Sanwo-Olu is not doing (well), even if he belongs to my party, I will not come here,” Wike said. “If you belong to my party and you are not doing well in governance, you won’t see me. If you don’t belong to my party and you are doing well, you will see me. Good governance is what I stand for. I will not regret to say that I am in support of you (Sanwo-Olu) for second term. Others should not waste their time.
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“Look at the kind of project coming from this women’s group. Why would any reasonable person not support the Government that is encouraging this. Let’s also look at the kind of physical infrastructure being delivered in Lagos. This confirms Lagos as a State of excellence. There are some people who will come here; instead of them to continue to make Lagos improve, they will bring Lagos down. For me, I’m satisfied with what Sanwo-Olu has done and it doesn’t matter the party he belongs.”
In response to Wike’s support, Sanwo-Olu said that it was another another instance of “politics without bitterness.” In terms of projects and development, he said Lagos and Rivers states had learned from one another, and he added that both states would continue to work together on shared interests.
“The hardworking Governor Wike of Rivers State is the only person who is fit to be a guest speaker at the conference,” he said. He was sent here by us so he could share his experience and see what we are up to in Lagos.
“We are encouraging collaboration without bitterness and without talking about our parties or political differences. If you are doing well, it doesn’t matter where you belong. We should encourage peer review across parties. Gov. Wike had invited me to Rivers for projects commissioning in the past. We have challenged ourselves in a positive way; this is good for the growth of our politics and the nation.”
The nation deserved a leader who would have Nigerians’ best interests at heart, said Governor Wike, who also discussed the qualities the next president must exhibit.
He urged Nigerians to put themselves in line behind someone with extensive experience in governance who is able to revive the economy and deal with insecurity.
“We are looking for a president with the capacity and experience in governance, who can put food on the table for everyone and combat insecurity,” Wike said. That is the person we are looking for, not someone who is discussing ethnicity.”
