Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari performed very poorly in office because people came together and gave him power even when he was not ready to serve.

Governor Wike who also claimed they nearly assassinated him while working as the Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Chibuike Amaechi in 2007, made the assertion during an interview with Channels Television. He used the occasion to lambast the President and those who allegedly brought him to power in 2015 blaming them all for the sorry state of the country.

Governor Wike has been in the news ceaselessly since he declared interest to run for the office of the president under the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023. In his words during the interview:

“If you remember, when I was the Chief of Staff, on the 3rd of December, 2007, I was nearly assassinated. I was nearly assassinated on December 3rd, 2007 if I can remember vividly.

“Even at that point, I was a threat unknown to me. I’ve never one day said I want it on a platter of gold, never! In fact, when you give people things on a platter of gold, it doesn’t work well.

“Power is not given. Nobody is going to give you presidential power on a platter of gold.

“Take for example, President Buhari, people were saying, “give it to him, give it to him, he’s the messiah,” now look at what happens.

“That period they came to deceive Nigerians that ‘this is the only man who can solve the problems, this is the only man who has the key to Nigeria becoming one of the greatest countries’ and Nigerians were deceived and we all bought it. Now look at where we are today. They told Nigerians “if you don’t elect General Buhari, there’ll be no Nigeria again.”