Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has faulted the signing of the 2022 budget of N17.127 trillion into law, saying Nigerians made a mistake choosing Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015.
According to Wike, Buhari had no business signing the budget when he was well aware that the bill was riddled with a plethora of unimplementable projects.
The governor, who stated this in Bauchi on Saturday when he visited his counterpart, Bala Mohammed, on a ‘special new year visit’, said Buhari, who he claimed knew the importance of the document, should have returned it to the National Assembly for corrections before assenting to the bill.
Wike expressed worry over the state of leadership recruitment in the country and asserted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must take responsibility to provide the kind of leadership that Nigeria needs.
“You saw a President [Buhari] yesterday that said this budget is unimplementable, yet he went ahead and signed something he knows would not help the country.
“For the Electoral Act, he faulted errors, saying direct primary will be too expensive and will affect security. But he signed something that he knows would affect the economic survival of the country negatively,” he stated.
Wike further slammed the Buhari-led administration for a biased fight against corruption. According to him, the antigraft agencies only went after members of the opposition.
“But if you go over to the All Progressives Congress (APC), you are no longer a criminal. What kind of system is that? Is that the kind of leadership you want?” the governor asked.
“As we speak today, there is no judicial autonomy in Nigeria. Go and see the nature of the federal courts. I’m surprised that Mr. President could not make a pronouncement when he heard that the house of Justice of the Supreme Court was invaded.
“I’m sure if Justice Odili was killed, he would have issued a statement. In a country, when you see the abomination, like an invasion of Supreme Court justice’s house, it is not just an invasion; it is a threat to the judiciary. And the president could not say, ‘I will not accept this!’,” Wike buttressed.
The Rivers State governor emphasized that the nation is in dire need of leadership that cuts through the barriers of region and religion.
