The governor ofRivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has taken President Muhammadu Buhari to the cleaners for his (president’s) refusal to sign the electoral amendment act bill but went ahead to sign the heavily padded and unimplementable 2022 budget passed by the national assembly.
Mr. Kelvin Ebiri, media aide to Wike said in a statement yesterday that the governor made declaration when he paid a New Year visit to his Enugu State counterpart, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in Orba country home in Udenu local government area of the state.
He said the speed at which the President signed the 2022 budget which he had described as unimplementable was curious and smacks of insensitivity to the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
“Look at Mr. President the other day while he was signing the budget, he said the budget is unimplementable.
“But he went on and signed what is unimplementable. A budget that will determine the state of the economy, the progress of this nation, and the President knew this thing can’t work and he signed it.
“Then the Electoral Act, he said he will not sign it because direct primaries are too expensive.
“What concerns me with party primaries? What concerns the poor people with party primaries? The one that concerns poor man, businessman, how to grow the economy, you signed it, knowing too well that it will not work,” Wike said.
He further said the All Progressives Congress-led government had failed and urged the people of Enugu to speak out against the poor governance.
In addition, Wike urged them to continue to stand by Ugwuanyi to enable him to deliver democratic dividends to them as well as join forces with well-meaning Nigerians to salvage the country.
“You must join the rest of Nigerians. Nigeria is dying. Will you be here to see Nigeria die? Is it the kind of Nigeria that people like Nnamdi Azikiwe fought for?
“A Nigeria that when you wake up, what you will hear is 20 people have died, 42 people have been kidnapped, 100 people have been abducted. Everyday death, death,” he said.
According to the statement, Wike was in Enugu to felicitate with Ugwuanyi before the commencement of work in the New Year “in view of his brotherly love towards him.”
He described Ugwuanyi as one of the shining lights of the Peoples Democratic Party and admonished him to continue to remain firm, courageous and supportive of the party.
In his remarks, Ugwuanyi described his Rivers State counterpart as a “bold and courageous leader”, noting that he was proud of his (Wike’s) leadership.
Ugwuanyi described the visit as the signpost of the deepening relationship between the two states.
