Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says the inability of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to heed the warning of the G-5 cost him the presidential election.
Speaking at Okomoko Community Field while inaugurating the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Etche Local Government Area on Monday, Wike said what befell the PDP was avoidable if the national leadership of the party had heeded the appeals and demands to adopt the principles of equity, fairness, and justice.
He said it was now settled that the presidency had returned to the south after the north completed its eight years at the helm.
“Our constitution says in Section 7:3c that there shall be rotation of public offices, both 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 said while others were demonstrating against the outcome of the presidential elections, he was in Rivers inaugurating projects and satisfying the needs of the people.
The governor explained that there was no time he ever criticised either the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, or the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during the campaigns.
Wike said he rather campaigned, unapologetically, for 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 8 years, therefore the south should have it for 8 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.”
The governor said he is one of the apostles who stood firm that power must rotate and that it was based on the conviction of equity, fairness, and justice.
He told the people of Etche that he had no problem with anybody who had either voted for the Labour Party or the APC because the outcome of the presidential election is that Nigeria has a southerner elected as the next president.
