Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has talked tough again on the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying those interested in Rivers votes must come to the State.

He said the State would no longer be father Christmas doling out votes without negotiating Rivers interest.

Apparently referring to the unsuccessful moves for reconciliation, Wike said Rivers remained strategic in any election and that he would not go and look for anybody.

Wike’s reconciliation team was in Port Harcourt, Rivers capital, recently and waited in vain for members of Atiku Abubakar’s committee, who failed to turn up for the crucial talk

Wike said: “I believe that they must know us here because we have what it takes to deliver. They must come and know us. I’m not going to find anybody.

“You must come here. You can’t take 600 and something thousand votes away from my local government. You can’t take 3.2million votes from my State just like that.”

Wike insisted that the days were gone when supporters offered their votes and did not get anything in return.

“If we were father Christmas before, we won’t be father Christmas again? You must tell me what is there for me if I should vote. So nobody should bother himself. At the appropriate time we will talk to our people and our people will understand.If you say we don’t exist, we will tell you that you don’t exist. I am not a son to anybody. I am a son of Rivers State. I am working to attract what will benefit Rivers State.”

Wike spoke on Thursday at the flag-off of the 11th flyover project, which was performed by former Cross River Governor, Donald Duke, at the Rumuola- Ikwerre Road-Rumuokwuta Roundabout in Obio Akpor Local Government Area.

Wike stressed that Rivers State is too strategic politically to be ignored by any serious-minded politician, who desires to win an election.

He harped on the futility of the claims by those, who professed to know the PDP presidential candidate, yet were not at home where votes could be mobilized to secure electoral victory.

He said: “This Local Government alone, Obio Akpor, where I come from, we registered not less than 600,000 voters. This local government beats two states in their electoral strength.

“So we are not a State that you can take for granted, not to talk about the Local Government where I come from”.

The Governor said says politicians in the state were renouncing membership of their political parties in droves and joining the Rivers PDP.