Rivers: How Wike ‘Bulldozed’ Tinubu To Victory- APC

Tony Okocha, Chairman of Local Organising Committee and Independent Campaign Council, ICC, of the APC, has disclosed that the party could not have won the February 25 presidential election without the help of Rivers state govrnor Nyesom Wike.

Before the election, Governor Wike and other four governors of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, known as G5 had declined to work for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Governor Wike, had also few days to the election directed his supporters to work for the APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has now declared Tinubu the winner of the election after defeating Atiku, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, to ome first in the keenly contested election.

Speaking on Tinubu’s victory, Okocha said Tinubu could not have secured the 25 percent of the vote cast in the state, one of the requirements for a presidential candidate to be declared winner.

He said, “We note seriously and unashamedly that in 2015 we held the rims of governance in Rivers State as members of the APC. We pulled together all efforts individually and collectively; yet, we couldn’t secure 25 percent of the total votes cast for the presidential candidate of our party during the presidential election.

“It was worse in 2019, when we all still working together with a super minister, security apparatchik and malleable election personnel, we couldn’t produce the required 25 percent for our presidential candidate.

“But, in 2023, against all expectations, APC Rivers won and secured over 40 per cent of the total votes cast for the presidential candidate of our party. Of tremendous note, is to put on records, the role of Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, a leading member of the G5 Governors ( Integrity group) who not only threw his heavy weight in political maestro in support of the APC candidate, but encouraged Rivers people to vote the man who will protect the Rivers interest as president of Nigeria. This to say the least, was the game changer. Thank you, Governor Wike. The political bulldozer.”