The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is planning to reward the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike with a ministerial appointment for ‘rigging the presidential election’ in the state.
The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in May met with Wike to explain his role in the alleged massive rigging against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, in the February 25 poll in the state.
The spokesman for Ohanaeze, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, disclosed that the Vice President-General of Ohanaeze (Abia), Dr. Kingsley Chidozie, led a delegation which met with the governor at the Exco Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.
According to Ogbonnia, Dr Peter Aneke who was nominated to speak on behalf of the delegation thanked Wike over the cordial relationship between him and the Igbo community in Rivers State, informing him that Ndigbo was unhappy with him over alleged widespread rigging and violence against Obi and his supporters in the state.
But Wike told Ohanaeze Ndigbo that he owed no one an apology over allegations of rigging in the presidential and legislative elections of February 25 in the state.
However, the Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku in a statement signed on Sunday night, said that presidential election results in states like Rivers showed that the election was far from being credible.
He said, "It was tragic that Tinubu was planning on rewarding former Governor Nyesom Wike with a ministerial portfolio despite the accusations of rigging levelled against him as well as a pending petition against the former Governor which has attracted nearly 300,000 votes.
"The Presidential election in Rivers State was clearly rigged as evidenced by what INEC has uploaded on IREV. So far, nearly 300,000 Nigerians have signed a petition on change.org demanding visa bans against Governor Wike.
“Tinubu is now on the verge of appointing Wike as a minister as a reward for that disgraceful election. What a shame. And this is the character who claimed to have fought for the actualisation of June 12?”
"I call on the United States and the United Kingdom to speed up the process of imposing visa bans on election riggers.
“They should also reveal the identities of those implicated in election rigging especially staff of INEC and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress," he added.