Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State said he supported the candidacy of Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) because he had no agreement with Peter Obi the Labour Party (LP) candidate.
Wike said this during an interview broadcast on several TV stations on Wednesday.
The governor said there was an agreement among Southern governors to support candidate from the region, stressing that people of Rivers State were bound to support any candidate from a political party that was popular and sure of wining.
Wike, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) G5 governors had disagreed with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar on his choice of running mate, he subsequently mobilized support for the APC’s candidate Tinubu against expectations in some quarters that he would support the candidacy of Obi, who hails the South-East region.
According to Wike, “I supported Bola Tinubu because we Southern governors agreed to support a presidential candidate from the region, I never had an agreement with Peter Obi.
“I take exception to Peter Obi’s comments that I came out against him. People are not being sincere, people are not appreciative.
“ I told Obi that Rivers people would support a Southern president, they would choose anyone, if I was opposed to Obi I would tell him, what would he do to me? For him to say I work against him is bad. What we agreed is that the presidency should come to the South, but the pasty is also important”.
Speaking further, Wike said he could not comment on the conduct of the presidential poll in Rivers State because the matter is in tribunal, stressing that it was up to the tribunal to give judgement.
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On the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2023 general election, Wike noted even though there was technically lapses in the presidential and National Assembly poll, the commission improved during the gubernatorial and state House of Assembly election.
He stressed that the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) led to reduction of violence in the his state in the just concluded general election.
“If you have problems because of the use of technology you cannot say the process is bad, BVAS rescued violence, but that does not mean we have hundred percent performance. In the gubernatorial election there was improvement”, Wike added.
On the fate of the G5 governors, he said the group was still intact, stressing that some governors among the group who lost election did that because of their sacrifices for power shift to Southern Nigeria.
Wike stressed that Governor Samuel Ortom and other governors in the group had agreed for power shift to Southern Nigeria for fairness, equity and justice, adding that the PDP’s G5 governors demands was justified by the outcome of the presidential poll where the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar lost.
Wike added that having delivered all elective positions to the PDP in the just concluded general election in Rivers State, he was the only authentic PDP member and governor in the party and could not be compared with other party leaders across the country who lost all positions in their state.
“Nothing happened to G5 governors it is still intact, we stood for equity and fairness. Ortom and others agreed that we should make sacrifice and their should be power shift tobthe South. Who is a betrayal, those that won election in their state or those that lost?
“What is the essence of national chairman that can’t deliver his state? Mention one leader that is in control of his state”, Wike Stated.
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