The Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike has declared the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi, his hero. Says some of the PDP governors in the race would have lost the race without his victories.
Speaking at a town hall in Port Harcourt, the capital of his state, with Igbo traders, he expressed that despite Obi not yet being declared the winner, his involvement in the election ensured that a Southerner would become the President-elect.
The governor also stated that if not for Obi’s victories in certain states, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would have lost them, resulting in the North retaining power.
Gov Wike is a member and leader of the G5, a group of five dissatisfied governors from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who did not endorse the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. They claimed he violated the party’s zoning regulations.
“In this election that we just did, “Obi is my hero, as far as I’m concerned. If he didn’t contest, power would have remained in the North,” he said.
Wike encouraged the Igbo traders to disregard negative remarks from detractors and instead vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.
Additionally, the governor dismissed accusations that he was working against Obi’s presidential aspirations.
Among the attendees were Sim Fubara, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state, and Dan Orbih, the South-South Vice Chairman of the PDP, among others.
During his visit to the market, Wike addressed the traders and acknowledged rumors that he worked against Obi during the presidential election. However, he assured them that he had no motive to do so, as he and the other G5 governors had campaigned for a southern presidency.
Wike emphasized that his commitment to his fellow governors had prevented him from openly endorsing any presidential candidate. He stressed the importance of unity in the region after the election.
After his speech, Wike toured the phone and computer market at the Garrison junction, addressing the concerns of the traders. He also donated 30 plots of land to support their ICT village project.
Wike, who met with traders in the Mile 3 Market, granted their request for 150 plots of land for the building of their market.
