Kinsmen of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, under the auspices of the Akpor Consultative Assembly (ACA) have mounted pressure on him to contest the 2023 presidential election.
ACA is a pressure group comprising political heavyweights from Obio-Akpor, the Local Government Area of Wike.
The kinsmen after an extensive deliberation in a meeting attended by many political office holders including the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, on Saturday resolved to call on Wike to contest the election.
While passing a vote of confidence in Wike, the kinsmen from the 10 clans that make up the Akpor Kingdom urged him to present himself for the office of the president.
The President-General of the group, Chief Hanny Woko said it would be a disservice to the people if Wike refused to heed their call.
He said: “We, as a group collectively, after consultation, are calling on the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to present himself to run for the position of the president, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We are compelling him to make himself available because Nigeria needs a man of his status at this perilous time of our history.
“We need sanity in Nigeria. We need a courageous, youthful leader to man that position. In Governor Wike we see every qualification. In him we see the embodiment of a true patriotic Nigerian.
“We therefore plead with him, urge him and also compel him, because it is a call to service. It will be a disservice to the country if he refuses to present himself for that position because we have looked all round, he is the most qualified for that position.”