Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said on Thursday Nigeria was in a coma and only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could salvage the country.
The governor stated this in Port Harcourt when a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, informed him of his (Lamido) intention to vie for the presidency in 2019.
The governor noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was a party of strangers with no knowledge of the intricacies of development.
“If you decamp to the APC, you are no longer corrupt, APC is a party of daylight deceit. I am happy that one of those who left to bring a messiah, has realised that the so-called messiah they brought is no longer the messiah Nigerians expect, PDP is the only hope for Nigeria,” he said.
He said although the PDP made mistakes in the past, the party was the only platform with the commitment and patriotism to take the country out of the current situation.
Wike said the present political and economic situation in the country needed politicians with courage to deliver the country.
The governor noted that those who benefited from the PDP since inception till 2013 before defecting, were the same people sponsoring negative propaganda against the party.
He described Lamido as a committed and consistent PDP member, adding that he also had the capacity to confront the APC.
However, the governor urged all presidential aspirants to accept the party verdict at the end of the primary.
Earlier in his remarks, Lamido said he was vying for the presidency in 2019 because the nation deserves to move forward.
The former governor said if given the opportunity to lead Nigeria, he has the capacity to unite Nigeria and set it on the path of growth.
“I want to run because I feel I can do it. I have the pedigree, we stand to fight for democracy and the restoration of Nigeria,” he said.
