Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has said that the inability of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to win the presidential election was a direct consequence of ignoring the warnings of the G-5 governors of the PDP.
Governor Wike stated that it was too early in the day for people to begin to forget that the eventual fate that befell PDP was avoidable if the national leadership of the party had heeded the several appeals and demands on them to adopt the principal of equity, fairness and justice as they approached the presidential election.
Speaking on Monday at Okomoko Community Field while inaugurating the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Etche Local Government Area, governor Wike said it had been settled that the presidency had returned to the South because the North was completing its eight years at the presidency.
“Our constitution says in section 7: 3c that there shall be rotation of public offices; of appointive and elective. You took the chairmanship of the party. You took the presidential candidate slot of the party and we came to you, saying this is against the spirit of our constitution.
“Give us back the chairmanship, you said no, that you must have it all because you have won. I said be careful then, and nobody wants to remember all those things when we were shouting.”
Governor Wike stated that while others were demonstrating against the outcome of the presidential elections, he was in Rivers inaugurating projects and satisfying the development needs of the people.
The governor explained that there was no time he ever criticised either the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi or the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during the campaigns.
Governor Wike said he rather campaigned, unapologetically, to true lovers of Nigeria to vote for a southern presidential candidate in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice.
“That is what we have argued for, that the North has had it for eight years, therefore the South should have it for eight years. So, I am not here to persecute anybody.
“As far as I am concerned, anybody from the South is where I stand. That is what we agreed as integrity group that we must make sure that the South emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Speaking further, governor insisted that he was one of the apostles who stood firm that power must rotate and it was based on the conviction of equity, fairness and justice.
He told Etche people that he had no problem with anybody who had either voted for the Labour Party or the APC because the outcome of the presidential election was that Nigeria had a southerner elected as the next president.
Taking a swipe at the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers State, Governor Wike said Tonye Cole lacked the character to steer the affairs of the state.
