Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers says he did not openly back Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi in the Feb. 25 election because no one discussed Igbo presidency with him.
Dr Alex Ogbonnia, Press Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, revealed on Friday in Enugu that Wike made the remark during a meeting with the socio-political group in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
According to Ogbonnia, at the meeting, Ohaneze Ndigbo addressed Wike about his alleged activity against Obi during the presidential race.
He added that Governor Wike was surprised that Ohanaeze was on a fact-finding expedition and that he would explain his role in the presidential race.
According to Ogbonnia, the Rivers Governor and the Southern Governors Forum initially met in Asaba and concluded that power must pass to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office.
He further stated that the governors would reconvene in Enugu in September 2021 to reassert their desire for power to shift to the South.
He added that “the issue of presidency to the Southeast was never on the table” during the meetings.
Wike also stated that he did everything he could to keep the Southern governors in power during his political career.
Wike was outraged because numerous well-known people from the Southeast betrayed him and damaged the Southern interest by voting for a candidate from the north during the PDP presidential primary contest.
He stated that his unalloyed patriotism to the South prompted him “to offer logistics for Obi when he was in Rivers for the presidential campaign”.
Wike pointed out that, on the other hand, he declined to give Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for his own Peoples Democratic Party, even a campaign venue.
The governor further noted that “what is floating in the social media is the handiwork of Wike adversaries.’’
For instance, the “Full Audio of Governor Wike Caught on Tape Planning Bribe for INEC Officials,” which was released by an online publication, has been available on YouTube since December 16, 2016,” Wike said in his statement to Ohaneze.
According to him, “some troublemakers” were exploiting certain doctored and fraudulent audio and visual materials on the internet to harm Wike’s image.
The governor questioned whether Ohanaeze Ndigbo had ever asked him to support Obi after acknowledging that all of his judgements about the 2023 presidential elections were based on his personal principles.
“I am a man with the courage of my convictions and have no reasons to tell lies or to owe 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.
The vice president-general (Abia) of the Ohaneze delegation, Dr. Kingsley Chidozie, nominated Barr Peter Aneke to speak on its behalf during the meeting, according to the Ohaneze publicity secretary.
Aneke commended Gov. Wike for maintaining the friendly ties the Igbo community in Rivers had.
He emphasised the friendly ties between the residents of Rivers and the Southeast of Nigeria and questioned how an Ikwerre man could in good conscience oppose the Igbo presidency.
He claimed to Wike that Igbo from all over the world shared his sense of injustice, especially because rumours of rigging were being spread online.
Also, Aneke informed Gov. Wike that the Ohanaeze felt compelled to confront him regarding the alleged massive electoral fraud in Rivers against Obi.
He expressed his profound disappointment that Obi had received few votes in Rivers despite winning in urban areas like Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of northern Nigeria.
The Igbo elders and youth were curious to discover why Wike went above and beyond to take Obi down in Rivers, Aneke continued, and the team was on a fact-finding trip.
He urged Wike to consider the results of the poll in the event that the governor of the Rivers had backed Obi.
