From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said peace and security would remain elusive if the major ethnic groups continued to marginalise the minorities.
He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt, when management of New Telegraph Newspaper, led by its Managing Director/Editor- in-Chief, Ayodele Aminu, presented a letter nominating him as Political Icon of the Year 2022.
Wike said the security challenges was not only about banditry and kidnapping, but marginalisation of minorities was also fuelling insecurity.
He said for an enduring future to be achieved in Nigeria, all citizens must see themselves as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project.
“The problem in this country today is not only as a result of the banditry or kidnapping. No, part of the issue that has to do with security is the issue of marginalisation. And I continue to tell our people, or those who believe that they are dominant, you need peace for you to preside over those who you think do not have the numbers. You need peace, if there is no peace, it will be difficult.”
Wike, who spoke on current happenings in the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it depicted the marginalisation of a section of the country.
He noted that because the zoning principle had been jettisoned in PDP, coupled with the lack of seriousness to allow for inclusivity, it was herculean convincing Nigerians to believe that the party could rescue the country.
He said blackmail would not resolve the demand for the national chairmanship position of the party to be relinquished to the south.
He said the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu had promised to resign his position should the presidential candidate of the party emerge from the north insisting his allies are resolved to continue the demand for the return of the national chairmanship position to the south.
Wike also claimed Ayu was corrupt, because he had not been able to account for the N11 billion realised from the party’s primary and N100 million he got from a governor.
Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of New Telegraph Newspaper, Ayodele Aminu said they had in 2017 awarded Wike the award as the Governor of the Year in Infrastructure because of his contributions in Rivers and leadership in the PDP.
He said theyz had continued to follow his track records of performance, healthy politicking that had given true meaning to democratic governance in the country.
Aminu said they were delighted to have him as the winner of the award as the Political Icon of the Year 2022 because it fits no one else, but him.