Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, revealed on Thursday how he attempted to persuade Bola Tinubu to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018.
He claimed that they had a late-night meeting at Tinubu’s residence in Lagos, but the offer was rejected.
This was disclosed by the governor at a state dinner in Port Harcourt.
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Wike said, “I met him first in 2018 around 2 am in his house -Bourdillon. I was sent to go and talk to him, about how he can join us. I went to him, I said sir, I hear you can’t find your feet again in APC. Why not join us and let’s support one of these our candidates to win the 2019 election?
“He asked me. Who are these your candidates, I mentioned them. He said look, if it is these ones you have, I will support (Muhammadu) Buhari 200 times. He told me that. And I respected him.”
According to Wike, they backed Tinubu in the 2023 race to advance Nigerian unity, which they believe is more crucial than any political party.
Because they adhered to their party’s constitution, he continued, they are not guilty of anti-party behavior.
Wike said, “We didn’t do anti-party, we supported the unity of Nigeria which is more important than any political party. Those who did anti-party are those who violated the provision of the constitution of their political party, they did anti-party.”
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Governor Wike also addressed the controversy surrounding Nigerian elections, claiming that a vote is only regarded as fair when the opposition wins.
He urged everyone to back the president-elect and put an emphasis on effective leadership going forward.
Wike said, “It’s only in Nigeria where I see if the opposition wins an election, that election was done well. It’s only in Nigeria I have seen that. If as a governor now, I contested Senate and I lose that election, they will that election is free and fair. Why? Because the governor lost.
“But if I won, the governor has done everything. We saw governors who lost the election. Bola Tinubu lost Lagos -the presidential election, he lost Lagos, is it not correct?
“That election was free and fair in Lagos. Was it not free and fair in Lagos? Why? Because Bola Tinubu lost in Lagos. That is the kind of thing we do. If I lost an election in Rivers state, they will say but we said it, his own time is over, how do you think Wike would have won? Now I won, don’t worry, they just manipulated.
“Look at states where governors lost elections, nobody is talking about it. That election was free and fair. Senators lost elections, that election, free and fair.
“As far as I’m concerned, I have no regrets. I will continue to say and I have told the president-elect, the elections have come and gone. You have finished that battle, the battle you have now is governance. What Nigerians want is good governance. If we want good governance, then we must rally around the president-elect.”
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