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The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has asserted that during the presidential campaign, he never challenged Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
Wike claimed that he was in favor of the country's authority shifting from the north to the south, which is why he never challenged Tinubu or Obi.
The governor declared himself to be an "apostle" of the transfer of power to southern Nigeria.
He spoke at the opening of the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Rivers State's Etche Local Government Area.
The governor emphasized that he owed no one an explanation for his support of the South's power rotation.
"I have no issue with you, whether you voted for Labour or not. I don't mind if you chose to support the APC. We have maintained that the north has controlled it for eight years. The south must stay there for eight years as a result.
"That is my stance as far as anyone from the south is concerned. In the Integrity Group, we all decided that we must do our utmost to ensure that the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria comes from the south.
“Each time I went for a campaign, nobody has ever heard me criticize Obi. Nobody has ever heard me criticize Asiwaju. I owe nobody any apology that people voted for the southern presidency,” he said.
Wike disregarded Atiku Abubakar, the PDP's presidential contender, prior to the 2023 presidential election.
The Integrity Group, led by Wike, had pushed for the North to South presidential transition.
The governor demanded that Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP's national chairman, step down and be replaced by a person from the South.
He stated that the PDP's national chairman and presidential candidate cannot be produced in the North.
