Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, has narrated what transpired at the residence of former Senate President Bukola Saraki after he nominated presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as running mate to former Vice President and flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in the buildup to the 2019 general elections.
He opened up on this while reacting to reports that he worked against Obi in the February 25 presidential election.
Recall that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won Rivers during the presidential election.
Speaking during a media chat with selected journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Wike also said: “I never told Rivers state people to vote for a candidate, I told them to vote for the unity of Nigeria. I take exception to Peter Obi’s comment that I came out against him. People are not being sincere, people are not being appreciative.
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“In 2019, ask Peter Obi, I was part of the team that chose Peter Obi to be the vice-presidential candidate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. When we met at Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s house, he said these are the names and we chose Peter Obi.
“While we were at (Bukola) Saraki’s house in the night, I was fought by people like Ike Ekweremadu and my own friend, people like the governor of Ebonyi state, people were like why must I be the one to choose Peter Obi, why must I choose for the candidates?
“Did he come out to say Governor Wike was the one who supported me to be the vice-presidential candidate?
“When he said I came out against him, it is unfortunate because nobody has ever heard me during my campaigns saying don’t vote for Peter Obi, I never said so. But even if that is the case, that I didn’t support you, you cannot say that I came out against you. I didn’t have any agreement with you in the first place.”
