The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday took a swipe at his critics following the outcome of the local government elections in Rivers State.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike said he only influenced the election in his local government, Obio/Akpor, where the Peoples Democratic Party emerged victorious.
The former Rivers governor noted that some of his critics were upset that he did not extend his influence to other areas where the All Progressives Congress recorded wins.
“So, Wike is very popular today. Is it not the same people I hear on Arise, AIT, and Channels saying Wike cannot determine what happens in other areas, that he can only influence his local government?
Now you are angry that APC won in other local governments. That means you are questioning why I did not extend my influence to areas where I had none. The local government determines who wins what in the state. Every election has its own perception. Are people happy with what is happening in the PDP? Did PDP even contest in those local governments where APC won?” he asked.
Wike stressed that as a PDP member, he delivered his local government for the party.
“I influenced and campaigned for my people to vote for PDP, and they did. Now you are angry that APC won elsewhere. But I have said it before—my influence is in my own local government,” he added.
Speaking futher, Wike said the PDP won Obio-Akpor Local Government Area with 328,823 votes because the residents of the council take local elections more seriously than general elections.
He said, Speaking about the number of votes scored by the PDP candidate, Wike said: “That’s the problem I have with you people (press). Go and study the history of election in Obio-Akpor LGA.
“In local government election, you know that the turnout will be more. Councilorship is like community or family affairs, people come out. People even take councilorship more seriously than governorship because it has to do with family or communities.
“I don’t know what your worry is. Is their worry that it is illegal, or your worries that you don’t believe that this number of people turned out?
“I was chairman of that local government, the record was very clear. Nobody had had two terms in that local government, but I broke that history. I was governor of that area. You can’t take my record. And if there was nothing, no, you cannot. You can’t beat the record.
“We won. And my people believe, whether you like it or not, it’s not by coming out, like I’ve always said. You have always preferred those who come sunrise, who come on TVs, people who don’t have facts, they don’t have the facts.”
