Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision on subsidy removal, saying it is not easy to govern a country like Nigeria.
He said this while speaking with state house correspondents after meeting with Tinubu, on Friday.
Wike, alongside Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, met with the president at the presidential villa, on Friday.
Speaking on the motive behind the visit, Wike said: “There’s no big deal about it, the governor of Oyo has told you what we came to do; to give him support. We are supporting all the decisions he’s taking, it shows that he’s prepared for the job and there’s nothing bad about that. It requires tough decisions for a country to move forward.”
On whether he was planning to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), he replied: “Don’t say that.”
Earlier, Makinde said they visited the president to tell him that he had started well and had the support of the generality of the people.
Asked if they discussed the subsidy issue, the governor of Oyo State said: “Yes, we discussed it. It’s something that is on top of public discourse right now. We know it’s a tough decision for the people and he needs the support of everybody to see this through.”
Makinde and Wike were key members of G-5, a group floated during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis in the build up to the 2023 elections.
The duo contributed to the victory of Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 election.
When Tinubu visited Rivers at the instance of Wike in May, he openly commended the then outgoing Rivers governor for his support towards his victory.
