In spite of heated opposition from some leading politicians and PDP stakeholders in his state,Wike, won the Rivers State governorship primaries with a landslide. He scored 1,083 votes out of a total of 1,108 delegates’ votes.
An elated Wike said: “My victory is victory for democracy. I will reclaim the stolen mandate of the PDP and recover what is rightly ours in Rivers State. The era of rascality and impunity has caused Rivers State dearly. Today, the state enjoys a pariah status.”
However, 17 aggrieved aspirants in the state described the primaries as a sham. The aspirants, who shunned the exercise, said the whole process that led to the primaries had been skewed to produce Wike as candidate of the party. According to the aspirants who spoke at the campaign office of Major Lancelot Anyaya (rtd), in new GRA area of Port Harcourt, what happened as governorship primaries was a charade because “due process was not followed. So real election did not take place.
What you saw as election was a tragic comedy of wickedness by a few persons to enslave Rivers people.”
Continuing they said they had presented their complaints to the national leadership of the party, adding that they would wait for its response.
Present at the briefing were Prof. Don Baridom, Mrs. Biobele Odesola, Barr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Hon. Oseleye Dennis Ojuka, Alabo Paworiso Samuel-Horsfall, Hon. Gabriel Pidomson, Engr. Samson Ngerebara, Hon. Bernard Mikko, Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack, Hon. Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), Engr. Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack, Chief Atamuno Atamuno, Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jack, Chief Fafaa Dan Princewill, Hon. Tonye Princewill and Hon. Silva Opusunju.
