Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has described the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as the hero of the 2023 presidential election.

 Governor Wike said the decision of Peter Obi to contest the presidential election under the platform of the Labour Party, primarily prevented the north from retaining power after the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

The Rivers State governor said this during an interactive meeting with the Technical Dealers Association of Nigeria, Computer Dealers Association, Garrison Phone Dealers Association and Building Materials Traders Association in Port Harcourt on Saturday, March 11.

Governor Wike explained that contrary to insinuation that he did not support Peter Obi, what most people failed to realize is that the Labour Party presidential candidate remains his hero of the election.

“Obi is my hero. If Obi did not contest, power would have gone back to the North. The whole of South -South and South-East that PDP lost, if Obi did not contest PDP would have won.

The hero is this election is Obi whether you like it or not. I am not here to please you, Obi is the hero. He may not have been pronounced as the winner, no problem, the law will take its course. If Obi did not run this election, power would have remained in the North. Whether he declared a winner now or not, history will be on his side that he fought and fought well.”

Wike said the reason he did not publicly declare support for any presidential candidate was because the PDP G-5 governors had unanimously agreed to ensure the emergence of a president from southern Nigeria to succeed President Buhari.  

Governor Wike, said while members of the G-5 governors assiduously worked for power to return to the South, the likes of former Rivers State governor and immediate past Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, mobilised votes for Atiku Abubakar.

“If Amaechi loves the Igbos, why did he not support Obi? Instead, he supported Atiku. He did not want power to return to the South because he lost APC ticket.”he said