Ibrahim Masari
Ibrahim Masari, a former vice-presidential placeholder for the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has said after meeting Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in London, the United Kingdom, the APC was confident that he would work for the success of Tinubu in 2023.
Masari, however, said Wike’s support for the APC presidential standard-bearer would not hurt the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.Amaechi, who was runner-up in APC presidential primaries, is the arch-rival of Wike in Rivers State politics.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, Masari, who is a close associate of Tinubu, said their political alliance with Wike would not make Amaechi and other APC members in Rivers State feel sidelined, saying the party was ready to carry all of them along.
“Nobody will do anything that will hurt Rotimi Amaechi, he is a party member, a formidable member of the APC,” he said.
Masari noted that it was true that Tinubu met Wike in London, adding that they would continue to meet in due course.
“The meeting was basically on the 2023 presidential election and by God’s grace, we are going to work with His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike, he will assist and we are going to win the election with ease, by the will of God,” he said.
Masari stated that Wike does not have to join APC to work for its victory, adding that PDP’s reconciliation efforts may not change anything.
The APC chieftain further recalled how some APC members worked against the party in Bauchi and Adamawa states during the 2019 elections.
He said: “This is because Wike is a big politician, a Governor and he has control in some other states apart from his state. He is good to the people and has associated with his people peacefully. By the grace of God, he will be of help to us.”
“Well, only God knows what would happen next. But what we are seeing now, what has transpired is that we are going to work with Wike and he will be useful to us.
“If you could remember, it was APC that caused the failure of APC in Bauchi, it was members of the party that led to the defeat of the governor from their own party; in Adamawa too. So what I want people to understand, someone can still assist you even without joining your party if he wants to.
“Furthermore, with the widespread acceptance of His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Nigerians, I can assure you by the will of God he is going to win the election, with or without help. But there is the Hausa adage which says even if you’re beautiful, you should add to it by taking bath. So it’s not only about Wike, we are also talking with many other governors.”
