Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has hailed the people of Rivers State for voting for the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the February 25, 2023, election.
El-Rufai said Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the people of the state contributed to the victory of Tinubu in the election, stressing that the electorate chose quality and unity over political sentiment during the just-concluded poll.
The governor said this while inaugurating the Eneka-Igbo Etche Link Road in Obio-Akpo Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, April 6.
He stated that the decision of the governors elected on the platform of the APC to support power shift to the South was based on their belief in one Nigeria, saying the country belongs to all the citizens.
El-Rufai said: “I want on behalf of our President-Elect and our party to thank you (Wike) and the good people of Rivers State for making the right choice in voting for Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
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“It is the first time since 1999 that PDP was unable to get 25 per cent in Rivers. It shows that the people of Rivers can differentiate and they know when to vote for quality and they voted for quality over political sentiment. We want to thank you for providing that leadership, Governor Wike.
“This country belongs to all of us and we have a duty to do all that it takes to make Nigeria an egalitarian, progressive and prosperous country. You have done a lot in Rivers to give every Nigerian living here a sense of belonging. We are grateful to you for that.
“I want to assure you on behalf of the Northern APC governors that stood up and insisted that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, power must shift to the South was an act not only of belief in one Nigeria but also of enlightened self-interest.
“This country has the potential to lead the African continent and indeed the black race but only when Nigerian leaders come together and do what is best for the majority of our people. This is what the Northern APC governors stood for.
“This is what we believe Governor Wike stands for and this is part of the reasons that I am here to extend our hand of fellowship to Governor Nyesom Wike and the people of Rivers State for us to continue to work together as brothers and sisters to make Nigeria a better place for everyone no matter our religion, ethnicity, tribe, or creed,” he stated.
The governor further commended Wike for transforming Rivers State through infrastructure and making heavy investments in health, education, and job creation, urging his successors to continue on the same path of developing the state.
On his part, Governor Wike said the 2023 presidential election was about the protection of the unity of Nigeria and Rivers State.
Wike, who thanked El-Rufai and other APC governors for their stance on the power shift to the South, said some persons from the North who supported Southern Presidency had the selfish option of using their numerical strength to oppress other parts of the country.
“Let me use the opportunity to thank you (El-Rufai) immensely and members of your team, particularly you governors from the North under the APC.
“When it matters most in this country when Nigerians were talking about unity; how this country will be united and progressive, people like you came out boldly and spoke out for the unity of this country.
”It is important that the presidency having stayed in the North for eight years should move to the South and you stood firm. You were not personal about it because what you were talking about was the interest of Nigeria,” he stated.
Governor Wike stressed that what mattered to him the most was that the people of Rivers State supported Southern Presidency.
“Here (Rivers), we supported the president from the South. I don’t want to say who we voted for, the results show. I don’t know who took first, I don’t know who took second. But it is important to know that the people of the state supported the Southern Presidency,” Wike added.
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