Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, expressed gratitude to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for contributing to his victory in the February 25 presidential election. During the unveiling of the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola Flyover Bridge, Tinubu thanked Wike, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for his principles and pivotal role in his campaign. Tinubu won in Rivers State with 231,591 votes, while PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, came a distant third.
Tinubu acknowledged the structural support he received from the people of Rivers State, adding that he would not marginalize any region during his tenure. He also commended Wike for his leadership and for initiating 12 flyovers in the state capital, noting that posterity would remember him.
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However, Wike called on Tinubu to make a refund for Federal Government infrastructure projects undertaken and funded by the state under Wike’s administration. Wike argued that if the state had not initiated the projects, Rivers people would have suffered, so the federal government should refund the money used for the roads.
Tinubu, in response, said that he owed Wike nothing, as the flyovers were state-owned infrastructure, and that Wike had to lobby him to make any such refunds.
While the PDP refused to comment on Tinubu’s remarks, Wike threw jibes at the party leadership, adding that the invitation to Tinubu to inaugurate the projects was a fulfilment of a promise made during Tinubu’s campaign visit to Rivers State. Wike also expressed his appreciation to Tinubu for agreeing to visit Rivers State to open the project.
