Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has returned to Nigeria,from his London,UK trip.He howver confirmed that his team held fruitful discussions with the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as part of consultations for a better Nigeria.
The Governor further said they also met with the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi as well as former President Olusegun Obasanjo in London.
Wike spoke at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area, shortly after arriving the state from London on Friday.
He was in the company of Governors Samuel Ortom(Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu(Abia).
Wike said their consultations were beyond partisan politics, adding that they were only interested in a better country.
He said topmost in their agenda during the London meeting was changing the fortunes of the country explaining that all was not well with Nigeria.
Wike said: “I can confirm that this is the first time as a team that we are meeting with presidential candidates. We met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC and we met with our leader, former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“We met the presidential candidate of Labour Party. We also met with our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. For whatever it’s worth, consultation is ongoing.
“Whatever we are talking about, is for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. It is not parochial and tied to one person or group of persons. We believe that with what is going on, it will be for the interest of Nigerians at the end of the day.”
Wike decried the situation where standard, training and competence had always been traded for mediocrity.
The Governor said leadership should not be about one individual and the interest of his family, but about the collective interest of everybody.
He said: “Consultation is still ongoing. Never mind some people who do not believe in the existence of this country.
“Leadership is not about you and your family. Leadership is about everybody.
It’s unfortunate that we are in a country now where a man finishes eight years as a governor and brings his own son as a governor too and as member of National Assembly.
“It’s only in this part of the world that you can see that, when we are talking about poverty everywhere. These are people who do not mean well for this Nigeria.”
Wike also wondered why religion and ethnicity were used as the tenable identity to describe Nigerians when competence was required.
