A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor named Wike publicly endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term as governor of Lagos on Tuesday.
The Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials hosted the 22nd National Women's Conference where it occurred (COWLSO). The "Spring Forth, Stand Out" event took place at the Eko Hotels & Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Ayo Fayose, a senior PDP member and the former governor of Ekiti State, accompanied Wike at the function.
The Rivers helmsman gave Sanwo-Olu an excellent performance rating and said that the Lagos Governor has improved government by delivering high-quality projects throughout Lagos.
Any political party running against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, according to Wike, would be wasting their time because Sanwo-Olu will outperform any opposition.
The governor of Rivers State stated that he had no remorse for publicly endorsing Sanwo-Olu and emphasised that his support for his Lagos colleague came from a personal belief in good governance.
Wike said: “If Sanwo-Olu is not doing (well), even if he belongs to my party, I will not come here. 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 the 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.”
Sanwo-Olu responded to Wike’s endorsement, describing it as another example of “politics without bitterness”. He said Lagos and Rivers states had learnt from each other in terms of projects and development, adding that both states would continue to cooperate on shared interests.
He said: “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 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 project commissioning in the past. We have challenged ourselves in a positive way; this is good for the growth of our politics and the nation.
Gov. Wike also spoke about the qualities that the next president must bring forward, saying the nation deserved a president that would have the interest of Nigerians at heart.
He urged Nigerians to queue behind someone with vast experience in governance, who has the capacity to turn around the economy and confront insecurity.
Wike said: “We are looking for a president that has the capacity and experience in governance, who can put food on the table for everyone and fight insecurity. That’s the person we are looking for; not some people who are talking about ethnicity.”
The Rivers Governor said he would be going back home with lessons from the Lagos’ National Women’s Conference, stressing that Lagos had set the standards on how to empower women for growth and development. He promised to replicate the idea in his State to further empower women in Rivers State.