Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that Presidential candidate of Laboour Party (LP), Peter Obi is the hero of the just concluded presidential election.
Wike made th declaration on Saturday while addressing a town hall of Igbo traders in Port Harcourt.
He also debunked allegations of working against the former Anambra governor’s presidential bid.
He said Obi, despite not emerging winner, guaranteed the emergence of a southerner as the President-elect with his participation in the election.
The governor explained that had Obi not joined the presidential contest, the he recorded victories would have been won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thereby retaining power in the North.
“In this election that we just did, Obi is my hero, as far as I’m concerned. If he didn’t contest, power would have remained in the North,” he said.
Wike urged the traders to ignore comments by detractors and vote for the PDP in the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.
He told the traders he came to the market because he had heard they were angry with him that he allegedly worked against Obi during the presidential election.
Wike explained that he had no reason to work against the former Anambra governor when he and other G5 governors advocated for southern presidency.
The Rivers governor said he was bound by his agreement with the other aggrieved governors, the reason he did not openly endorse a presidential candidate, adding that it was important to have a united region after the election.
He then took a tour of the phone and computer market at the Garrison junction, where he addressed issues and donated 30 plots of land for their ICT village project.
