Olusegun Olanrewaju
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday said the inability of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to win the presidential election was a direct consequence of ignoring the warnings of the G-5 governors of the party.

A statement by the governor’s special assistant on media, Kelvin Ebiri, said Wike stated that it is too early in the day for people to begin to forget that the eventual fate that befell the PDP was avoidable if the national leadership of the party had heeded the several appeals and demands on them to adopt the principles of equity, fairness and justice, as they approached the presidential election.

Speaking yesterday at the Okomoko Community Field while inaugurating the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in the Etche Local Government Area, Wike said it is now settled that the presidency has returned to the south because the north is completing its eight years at the presidency.

“Our constitution says in Section 7:3c that there shall be a rotation of public offices; 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.”

Wike stated that while others are 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 (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, or the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, during the campaigns.
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 an integrity group; that we must make sure that the south emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Speaking further, the governor insisted that he is one of the apostles who stood firm that power must rotate and it was based on the conviction of equity, fairness and justice.

Meanwhile, the governor also yesterday denied allegations that he moved around to intimidate and cause disruption during the Presidential election on Saturday.

The governor, In a statement by the State Commissioner for Information, Chris Finebone, said the lies were peddled against him by individuals who, for reasons best known to them, decided to raise the false accusations against him, suggesting that he moved about with soldiers intimidating people and influencing voting and collation of votes.