Real reason I didn’t support Obi, Igbo presidency – Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said he did not support the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi overtly at the Feb. 25 election because nobody discussed Igbo presidency with him.

According to newsmen, Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, stated on Friday in Enugu that Wike made the declaration at a meeting the socio-political group had with him in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

Ogbonnia stated that at the meeting, Ohaneze Ndigbo confronted Wike over his alleged role against Obi during the presidential election.

He stated that Gov. Wike expressed surprise that Ohanaeze was on a fact-finding mission and would explain his role in the presidential election.

According to Ogbonnia, the Rivers governor explained that the Southern Governors Forum first met at Asaba and agreed that power must shift to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also explained that the governors later met in Enugu in September 2021 to reaffirm their position for power to shift to the South.

He stated that throughout the meetings, “the issue of presidency to the Southeast was never on the table.’’

Wike also explained that throughout his political adventure, he tried as much as possible to maintain the position of the Southern governors.

Wike expressed disgust that during the PDP presidential primary election, several well-known people of the Southeast betrayed him and sabotaged the Southern interest by voting for a candidate from the northern part.

He added that his unalloyed commitment to the South motivated him “to provide logistics for Obi when he was in Rivers for the presidential campaign’’.

Wike noted that conversely, he refused to provide even a campaign ground for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of his own Peoples Democratic Party.

The governor further stated that “what is circulating in the social media is the handiwork of Wike adversaries.’’

“I am a man with the courage of my convictions and have no reasons to tell lies or to owe an apology to anyone.

“I am always ready to defend my actions any day and at any time, and I did not rig the presidential election against Obi,’’ Ogbonnia quoted Wike as having said.