Governor Nyesom Wike has pledged to tackle the worsening insecurity bedevilling Nigeria if elected president in 2023, describing President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime as a lame duck.

“We need somebody who has the courage to fight insecurity in this country, and I want to tell you that I have that courage,” said the Rivers governor on Monday while addressing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) delegates in Maiduguri.

“Every day is one excuse or the other. People can no longer go to their farms, and you are talking about investing in agriculture,” added Mr Wike, referencing Mr Buhari’s call for Nigerians to focus on agriculture.

Mr Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, had promised Nigerians that insecurity would be tackled headlong when they assumed power. The party touted Mr Buhari’s military credentials. Since he assumed power in 2015, criminal elements have morphed, resulting in acute insecurity nationwide and attendant economic woes.

Mr Wike, who expressed confidence that the PDP would win the presidency in 2023, accused the APC of failing in tackling insecurity and economic security.

“I came here today because there is a problem. And the problem is that Nigeria is dying, and we must not allow Nigeria to die. We must rescue this country. So, I came as a Nigerian, as a member of Peoples Democratic Party. As a party (member), I have never left from 1998 till now,” said Mr Wike.

Presenting his credentials, he told the PDP crowd in Maiduguri that he had worked for and would continue to work for the party.

“So I want to run for the presidency of this country under the PDP. As a country, we do not have any other country to run to. So I am here to offer myself to solve most of the problems that this APC administration could not solve,” Mr Wike campaigned ahead of the PDP national convention.

He added, “Before, we are only hearing of insecurity in Borno state, but now it is all over the country. Hunger doesn’t know Muslims or Christians; insecurity does not know North or South.”

He appealed to the party members to “give me the ticket so that I can fly the flag of PDP to take over the power from APC.”

Responding, the PDP chairman in Borno, Zanna Gaddama, noted that Mr Wike’s consultative visit to Borno was to actualise his presidential aspiration, pointing out that Mr Wike challenges the ruling APC on every national issue affecting Nigerians.

“You should support him to get the PDP presidential ticket,” Mr Zanna urged the party members.

(NAN)