Bola Tinubu, the newly-elected President of Nigeria, has credited Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers, for his victory in the recent presidential election. In a speech given during the commissioning of the Raumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover bridge in Port Harcourt, Tinubu expressed gratitude to Wike for the “structural support” provided by the governor, which he said played a crucial role in his victory.

Tinubu won the presidential election on March 1, 2023, with a total of 8,794,726 votes. His closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), received 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) came in third with 6,101,533 votes. Both runners-up have challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, while their supporters have engaged in a media battle.

During his speech, Tinubu emphasized that he had won the presidential election “fair and square” and had faced a tough campaign. He thanked Wike for his contribution to his victory, stating that the governor’s principled stance that the presidency must come to the south had played a significant role in his win.

“In his excellency, I see a man of principle,” said Tinubu of Wike. “He is indeed a man of great integrity, he didn’t choose to serve his own interest, not about him but the interest of the nation. You promoted unity, you promoted fairness, you championed justice. Thank you.”

Tinubu added that he had accepted Wike’s invitation to commission the flyover bridge as a way of building bridges, which he said was crucial in Nigeria. He praised Wike’s strength of character and promised to fulfill the promises he had made to the governor during the election campaign.

“I went through a gruesome campaign, fought hard, supported by many of you and I won. Fair and square. Nyesom, I say thank you for your contribution to my victory. I couldn’t have done it without some structural support as not describable in a flyover,” Tinubu said.

YNaija