THE Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike at the women’s conference in Lagos on Tuesday commended the good works done by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, especially in the development of good governance and projects throughout the state.
The commendations have soon caused raised brows, as Babajide Sanwo-Olu is an APC governor, while Wike is a chieftain in PDP. Many Nigerians have taken it to be an endorsement.
Speaking at the conference, Wike said: “If Sanwo-Olu is not doing (well), even if he belongs to my party, I will not come here,” Wike said. “If you belong to my party and you are not doing well in governance, you won’t see me. If you don’t belong to my party and you are doing well, you will see me. Good governance is what I stand for. I will not regret to say that I am in support of you (Sanwo-Olu) for second term. Others should not waste their time.”
“Look at the kind of project coming from this women’s group. Why would any reasonable person not support the Government that is encouraging this. Let’s also look at the kind of physical infrastructure being delivered in Lagos. This confirms Lagos as a State of excellence. There are some people who will come here; instead of them to continue to make Lagos improve, they will bring Lagos down. For me, I’m satisfied with what Sanwo-Olu has done and it doesn’t matter the party he belongs,” the Rivers governor said.
In response to Governor Wike’s endorsement, Sanwo-Olu described Wike’s politics as “a politics without bitterness.”
“There is no better person that is fit as a guest speaker at the conference other than the hardworking Governor Wike of Rivers State. We brought him here to share in his experience and also for him to see what we are doing in Lagos.
“We are encouraging collaboration without bitterness and without talking about our parties or political differences. If you are doing well, it doesn’t matter where you belong. We should encourage peer review across parties. Gov. Wike had invited me to Rivers for projects commissioning in the past. We have challenged ourselves in a positive way; this is good for the growth of our politics and the nation.”