March 11, (THEWILL) – Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) as the hero of the February 25th presidential election in Nigeria.
Wike, who addressed a town hall with Igbo traders in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said despite Obi not emerging as winner of the poll, his participation in the election guaranteed the emergence of a southerner as President-elect.
According to the Governor, the states where Obi recorded victories would have been won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thereby retaining power in the North.
“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 urged the traders to ignore comments by detractors and vote for the PDP in the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.
The Governor also debunked allegations of working against Obi’s presidential bid.
He told the traders he came to the market because he had heard they were angry with him that he allegedly worked against Obi during the presidential election.
Wike explained that he had no reason to work against the former Anambra Governor when he and other G5 Governors advocated for southern presidency.
The Rivers Governor said he was bound by his agreement with the other aggrieved Governors, the reason he did not openly endorse a presidential candidate, adding that it was important to have a united region after the election.
Wike was accompanied to the meeting by the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Siminialaye Fubara; the South-South Vice Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih, among others.
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