By Ayo Kehinde
Governor Wike and Atiku Abubakar
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Governor Nyesom Wike, the incumbent governor of Rivers State who was on Wednesday evening declared winner on the governorship election in Rivers State by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Announcing the results in Port Harcourt, the state capital, INEC’s collation officer for the governorship poll, Professor Teddy Adias said Wike, the incumbent governor polled 888, 859 votes to defeat the candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC Biokpomabo Awara, who polled 137,859 votes.
Prof Adias then declared the governor Wike winner having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes.
According to Atiku, “ It gives me much pleasure to see a political force for good, such as yourself, overcome the anti-democratic forces of dictatorship and oppression.
“The Peoples Democratic Party is blessed to have a political gladiator, such as yourself, on our side. The citizens of Rivers state are fortunate to have a genuine progressive return to extend the frontiers of progress and development for them.
“And I am favoured to count you, Governor Wike, as my friend and brother, and Rivers state as my second home.
“As men of goodwill all over Nigeria savour your victory is, I am sure you will continue the pattern of good works for which you have become known.
He said that Nigeria needs men like Wike, men who can remain firm, unbowed and resolute in the face of trying times.
“You have proved that you have character under trial, and not just when the going is good. Such refinement will stand you in good stead as, by the grace of God, you finish the good work you have started in Rivers state.
Congratulations once again and may God bless Rivers state and her people and May God bless Nigeria and Nigerians.”
The result brings to a close the high drama and ensuing tension that had gripped the state following the violence that attended the conduct of the governorship election in which security agencies were fully involved and indicted by election observers for ballot box snatching, shooting of voters and electoral officers, allegedly for snatching ballot boxes and fixing collated results.
