The National Mandate Group (NMG), a support group for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has slammed Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike for endorsing his Lagos counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for a second term.
In a recent event in Lagos, Wike described Sanwo-Olu as a performer who deserved a second term and advised his rivals to drop out of the governorship race.
In response to the open endorsement, the group’s Lagos State Coordinator, Alhaji Wahab Sadiq, called Wike a “meddlesome interloper,” adding that his actions are a sacrilege.
Wike’s action, according to Sadiq, is anti-party and an act of gross indiscipline from someone, the group, has always regarded as a strong pillar in the PDP.
The statement reads:
What Wike came to do in Lagos is clearly anti-party and a sacrilege. It amounts to an act of gross indiscipline from someone we have always regarded as a strong pillar in PDP.
Wike presented himself as a meddlesome interloper in Lagos. What has Wike got to do with Lagos politics? What has he contributed to Lagos PDP in the past? Lagos PDP has never benefited from him nor relied on him during elections.
Sadiq said that the victory of PDP in Lagos was a foregone conclusion because Lagosians had decided to reject the mediocrity they had suffered from the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 1999.
He asserted that the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, Abdulazeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, would defeat Sanwo-Olu despite Wike’s endorsement.
He said:
We restate our commitment to the victory of the esteemed PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, also known as JANDOR, and his beautiful Running Mate, Ms. Funke Akindele-Bello, alias Jenifa.
JANDOR is coming and 1,000 Wikes cannot save Sanwo-Olu. Let Sanwo-Olu and Wike take that to the bank.
The truth is that Lagosians want a change. This is an oppressive government and people want to be free of 22 years of the rule of one man, using all the instruments of coercion, oppression and electoral rigging to capture and treat Lagos like a conquered territory.
The level of dehumanisation is frightening. This APC regime has dehumanised the citizens at every segment, from traffic to market, from transportation to education. Lagos has lost its soul. It peaked with the unprovoked killing of peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on 20th October 2020. But enough is enough.
People remember that under President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP, they enjoyed freedom. They could protest, they would be heard and their complaints would receive immediate attention. They earnestly yearn for those days and will use this election to bring about the change.