It is unfair to say 2023 elections had been rigged – Wike

Wike made his emotions recognized whereas talking on the State banquet he organised in honour of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Wednesday, Could 3, 2023.

Tinubu, who’s in Rivers on the occasion of Wike, had earlier within the day commissioned the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola Street Flyover in Port Harcourt.

Talking on the commissioning, the President-elect hailed the governor for taking part in an necessary function in his victory on the February 25 presidential election.

Tinubu thanked Wike for proving himself to be reliable in the course of the presidential election and counseled his insistence that energy should shift to the southern a part of the nation although his celebration, the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP), picked a northern candidate.

In the meantime, talking on the banquet, Wike congratulated the President-elect on his election victory which he stated was duly earned.

It might be recalled that the 2 principal opposition events, the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP) and the Labour Occasion have approached the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) looking for the nullification of Tinubu’s victory over claims that the method that produced him wasn’t clear and credible.

The events additionally accused the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) of reneging on its promise to add the presidential election outcomes on its outcomes viewing portal in actual time which they stated marred all the course of.

However, Wike disagreed with such claims by insisting that the election that produced Tinubu was free, truthful and credible.

“Election was rigged? That is unfair,” the governor questioned as he questioned the widespread perception amongst a piece of Nigerians that solely elections which can be gained by the opposition events which can be credible.

Wike stated: “It is solely in Nigeria the place I see if opposition wins election, that election was carried out nicely. It is solely in Nigeria I’ve seen that. If as a governor now, I contested for Senate and I misplaced that election, they’ll say that election is free and truthful. Why? As a result of a sitting-governor misplaced.

“We noticed governors who misplaced elections. Bola Tinubu misplaced Lagos. Presidential election, is it not right?” The governor requested the rhetorically.

Persevering with, Wike stated “election was free and truthful in Lagos. Was it not free and truthful in Lagos as a result of Bola Tinubu misplaced in Lagos?

“That’s the sort of issues we do. If I’ve misplaced his election in Rivers State, ‘however we stated it, his personal time is over. How do you assume Wike would have gained.’

“Now that I’ve gained, they stated don’t be concerned, he simply manipulated. That’s simply our (Nigerian) personal system. Have a look at states that governors misplaced election, no one is speaking about it. These elections had been free and truthful. Senators misplaced election, that election was free and truthful,’ he added.