The former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, says God saved him and three other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from a plane crash.

Wike disclosed that while they were travelling to Abuja after the presidential primaries of the PDP, one of the engines of the aircraft exploded 15 minutes after take-off.

He made the disclosure at a special Thanksgiving service organised by his family at the St. Peters Deanery, Rumuepirikom, Obio-Akpor, Rivers State on Sunday, June 18.

The former governor said: “15 minutes after take-off at the Airforce base, we heard an explosion. They locked the cockpit. One engine was gone and the pilot said it was safer to turn back to Port Harcourt.

“Before we landed there were many ambulances and fire service trucks lined up. We landed safely by the Grace of God. I didn’t tell anybody.”

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Wike said he kept most of the incidents as secrets during his eight-year regime to avoid frightening his supporters, who he said could begin to behave anyhow.

Wike said he decided to thank God for allowing a peaceful transition in Rivers State and granting him victories in all the elections held in the state besides his joy at surviving the poison attack.

The former minister added: “Ask my colleague how they felt that their candidates didn’t make it as their successors. Even those not sworn in yet started tormenting their predecessors. But nobody is tormenting me.”

The former governor said there was a gang-up in his party at the national level to arrest him if his decisions had failed, adding that at some points his loyalists were scared that they would all be in trouble.

He disclosed that all the forms for all elections in the party were acquired by him, saying no candidate of the party paid a dime to buy forms.

“I paid for every form. Nobody would say he paid any money to buy forms from governorship to House of Assembly. We agreed to work as a team. In the House of Assembly, only one form; Senate same. We didn’t want to have anything called post-election crisis,” Wike said.

Wike, who further disclosed why he supported Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for the 10th Senate Presidency, said the former governor of Akwa Ibom State defied criticisms to back his governorship ambition in 2015.

He added that Akpabio donated N200 million to his campaigns.

The former governor said: “When I was running in 2014 and 2015 he came out and supported me. He gave me N200 million for that election. That is why I said one good turn deserves another. I supported him this time and I thank God he won.”

Others at the event were President Bola Tinubu who was represented by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Akpabio; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; many senators, members of the House of Representatives, former governors, and former ministers, among others.

The Star