Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-Elect of Nigeria, has praised Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, for his support during the election.
Wike’s integrity and principles were lauded, and it was pointed out that the governor supported harmony and justice during the election.
Speaking during the opening of the Raumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover bridge in Port Harcourt, Tinubu said that Wike’s backing was essential to his victory.
In his own words: “I endured a painful campaign, battled hard, but I had a lot of your support and won, fair and square. I’d like to thank you, Nyesom, for helping me win.
Without some structural support, which is impossible to describe in a flypast, I couldn’t have done it,” he claimed.
I recognise a man of principles in his excellency. He had the guts to stand by his conviction that the South should win the presidency, regardless of whose ox was put to death.
He is undoubtedly a man of great integrity; he chose to serve the needs of the country rather than his own. You championed justice, promoting fairness, harmony, and equality. I’m grateful, ” Tinubu stated.
Why Wike Supported Tinubu
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, disclosed that he and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State worked for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to win the February 25, poll because they want power to return to the South.
Wike spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting with 48 support groups in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The governor, who was represented by the state’s PDP Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawo, said, “Why we supported Asiwaju is so that power should return to the South. Whether Asiwaju or Peter Obi, the next president must be a Southerner in the spirit of equity.”
“Again, Rivers State is reconnected to the Federal government. Within the last eight years, it has been a war.
Rivers State has been at loggerheads with the federal government, and we said, no this war cannot continue. So, for us in Rivers, Wike has reconnected us to the mainstream of governance in this country.
“On March 18, Rivers State elected the youngest governor in Nigeria, in the person of Sim Fubara, for a better succession plan.”
“Lagos State is succeeding because it has a better succession plan, from Asiwaju to Babatunde Fashola to the incumbent governor of Lagos State. Sim is a man who understands Rivers State, ” the Rivers State Governor stated.
The coordinator of the APC and Tinubu support groups in Rivers State, Mr Tony Okocha, said the groups in the state voted for the PDP candidate, Sim Fubara, as Governor of Rivers State to reciprocate Wike’s support for Asiwaju.