The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has described the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, as the hero of the February 25 presidential election.
The former Anambra State governor polled 6,101, 533 votes to finish in third position behind the duo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Tinubu garnered 8,794, 726 votes to edge out the former president who got 6, 984, 520 votes in the tightly contested election.
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ended in fourth position with 1,496, 687 votes.
Like Tinubu and Atiku, Obi won in 12 states while Kwankwaso floored the trio only in Kano State.
Wike, who spoke at an interactive session with some trade associations in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said the North would have retained the power without the LP candidate on the ballot.
He noted that Obi’s participation in the election ate up the PDP votes in the South-East and South-South geo-political zones which would have helped the party to win.
The governor maintained that though Obi did not win the election, history would remember him because he fought well.
Wike was the arrowhead of the G-5 that pushed for the resignation of the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, over his role in the breach of the party’s zoning agreement.
Other members of the group are Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
He said: “Obi is my hero. If Obi did not contest the election, power would have gone back to the north. The whole of South-South and South-East that PDP lost, if Obi did not contest, PDP would have won.
“The hero in this election is Obi whether you like it or not. I am not here to please you. Obi is the hero. He may not have been pronounced the winner, but no problem, the law will take its course.
“If Obi did not run this election, power would have remained in the north. Whether he is declared a winner now or not, history will be on his side that he fought and fought well.”
