Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Nyesom Wike, has dismissed criticism from opposition leaders regarding the conduct of the local government elections in Rivers State.
Speaking during a media parley, Nyesom
Wike emphasised that the exercise has not been declared illegal by any court of law, contrary to claims made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.
Wike also said Atiku was not aware of the emergency rule signed by his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2004, which granted the President power to make regulations for governance in emergency areas.
According to former Rivers State Governor “Listen, I don’t blame Atiku; he didn’t know that his boss signed the emergency rule in 2004.
”If he knew, if he was obedient and working along with his boss, who was [former] President Olusegun Obasanjo, he would have known that the President has the power to make regulations for the governance of emergency areas”, he added.
Wike further said, “So, he was not in tune. He doesn’t know, and as I said, what you don’t know, don’t comment about it. If Atiku had comments about Customs, I know he has worked in Customs. I can give it to him, but this is law.
“He doesn’t know that the 2024 emergency rule was signed by his boss, ” he said.
Wike questioned Peter Obi’s moral right to speak about election conduct, citing Obi’s own experience as Anambra State Governor, where he conducted local government elections only two months before leaving office after eight years.
Wike highlighted that the elections were conducted without gunshots, ballot box hijacking, or kidnapping of returning officers, and were widely commended for being free and fair.
Wike noted that Atiku and Obi were upset because Rivers State, a significant funding source for politicians, was no longer available to them.
“Their anger is that they are looking for where they will get funding, and now it is no longer available in Rivers State. They have no capacity or moral authority to even talk about it,” Wike stated.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission conducted the elections across 23 local government areas, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning 20 councils and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) securing three.
