Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is asking Nigerians to rally around President-elect Bola Tinubu, saying the time for politics is over.
Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) to clinch the seat in the hotly-contested February poll.
Although Wike belongs to the PDP (did not support the party’s candidate but worked for Tinubu), the Rivers leader is asking Nigerians to back the incoming administration which is set to be sworn in on May 29th, 2023.
“Elections have come and gone. The winner has emerged and therefore is it necessary for all Nigerians to give him the necessary support for the interest of Nigeria,” Wike told journalists after meeting with Tinubu at the Defence House in Abuja on Friday.
“I am confident that he has what it takes to turn Nigeria around,” the governor added.
Wike was accompanied by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who also re-echoed his Rivers counterpart’s comment.
“I came here to basically pay homage to the President-elect and to let him know that elections are over and this is [time for ]governance and we would do our best to give him support for the good governance of Nigeria,” the Oyo governor noted.
Makinde, Wike and other members of the PDP G-5 did not back Atiku for the presidency, insisting that the position should return to southern Nigeria after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
They, therefore, argued that Atiku from the northern region of Nigeria, same as Buhari, is unqualified to contest the election with Wike and Makinde backing Tinubu instead.
On his part, a member of the G-5, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State supported Labour Party’s Obi (who is from southern Nigeria) but lost his senatorial bid.
