Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has attributed his failure to clinch the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during Saturday’s primaries to gang up from northern governors and betrayal from southern governors.

Speaking amidst cheers from party supporters, Governor Wike said he had used the PDP primary to send a message to Nigeria.

“They underrated us, but now, they will not underrate us again,” the governor said.

“We have all it takes to do whatever we want to do. It is a matter of you being firm. It is a matter of you being hopeful. There is nobody that is born greater than us in this country; therefore, we cannot answer second-class citizens. We can’t.

“We just used this one to tell them that enough is enough. We made them not sleep. We made them not eat. We made all of them from wherever they said they come from to know that there is somebody who can take them on. This country does not belong to one particular zone. If people are afraid of talking, it is their business. I cannot be a second-class citizen in my country.”

Wike, despite his remarks, has declared support for Abubakar and the PDP for the 2023 general elections.