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I won’t hold any grudges if my successor turns against me – Wike

Published

2 years ago

March 27, 2023

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State said he will not be worried if his imminent successor, Siminialayi Fubara, turns against him as he is there to serve the state and not him.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, Wike said he won’t hold any grudge against the Rivers governor-elect if he discards his counsels.

“He is not there to serve me. We are there to serve the people. The problem leaders have is that you supported someone to be in office; what you did, was it to help him succeed or fail?” Wike said.

“You want him to becoming to my house to be taking orders? Once you have left office, you give yourself that respect and say ‘I have done my own’. If he wants my advice, it is okay; if he doesn’t, it is okay. But for me to begin from day to day, telling him you must do this, you must do that, that is not acceptable. That is why people fail.”

Speaking further, the Rivers Governor noted that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), scored over 6 million votes, trailing Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because Igbo people yearn for the presidency, and also owing to the fact he was the youngest among the four frontline candidates.

Wike added that Obi did not necessarily garner the figures he got because of his alleged integrity.

The former Anambra State governor contested under a platform that is not among the top two main parties in Nigeria and was mocked as “structureless’ in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.

But he surprisingly won in states like Lagos, Plateau and Nasarawa, and scored more votes than the opposition projected.

“First, it was because of the belief that the presidency should go to the Southeast.

“Secondly, some people wanted a younger person,” Wike stated.