Wike says  sorry to Oshiomhole for supporting Obaseki’s re-election

* Oshiomhole backs Wike on PDP crisis

 The advice by Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Dr. Matthew Kukah asking Nigerians not to fight over politicians who are after pecuniary gains, was  demonstrated  on Wednesday by  Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom Wike who  apologised to former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, for supporting the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State in September 2020.

The bishop’s advice comes a few days after Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC, and Atiku Abubakar, his political opponent, were seen in video exchanging jokes at the private wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, in Abuja. The clergyman also expressed concern over the surge in violence by supporters of political candidates ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Wike tendered the apology to Oshiomhole at the inauguration of the Rumuepirikom Flyover in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state which the ex-APC chairman commissioned.

According to Wike, he has learnt and the past should remain in the past.

 “I use this opportunity to apologise to you. I came to Edo State to make sure your candidate didn’t win election. I said you won’t win and you didn’t win. That assignment has been done and we now know who is who,” Wike told a smiling Oshiomhole.

“We are now friends, let bygones be bygones,” Wike, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strongman told the ex-APC national chairman.

“I want to sincerely apologise to you. Each time you learn. People will praise you when you do for them. When you say, they are wrong, they begin to say all sorts of things.

“I’m sure those of them in my party before cannot do anything without Wike but because I said let the right thing be done, let agreement be agreement, I have now become an enemy. These are people who are praising me morning and night,” he maintained, noting that he stands on equity, fairness and justice.

In his response, Oshiomhole lauded Wike for the many “beautiful projects” in Rivers, saying results don’t lie, adding that executive exchanges have a way of communicating to the people that political divide is not war.

“I listened to you (Wike) attentively and you said Peter Obi is coming tomorrow. I want to congratulate you for that because I also invited Peter Obi when I was governor and those executive exchanges have a way of communicating to our people that political divide is not war,” Oshiomhole stated.

“I also invited governors from other states to Edo the last one week before my tenure as you said, for them to see what I was able to do.

“I promise that when I get back to Abuja, I will use my mouth to talk what my mouth saw. The flyover I saw is not a culvert. There are people who commissioned culverts and said they were flyovers but what I am seeing here is a beautiful flyover which you will see anywhere in the world,” he added.

Oshiomhole, who was Edo governor between 2008 and 2016, handed over to Obaseki who was then a member of the APC.

The two men, however, fell apart due to intra-party squabbles and Obaseki couldn’t secure APC ticket to return to office in 2020 gotten by Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Obaseki moved to PDP and joined forces with PDP as seen by his many visits to the Rivers strongman’s residence during the crisis preceding the Edo State Governorship Election in 2020.

The Edo governor subsequently got the PDP’s governorship ticket and defeated Ize-Iyamu who was backed by Oshiomhole and other APC stalwarts including former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari.

Of late, Obaseki and Wike have been at loggerheads amid a crisis rocking the PDP as the former backed PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar whilst Wike continued to demand the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu as a precondition to support Atiku’s presidential ambition for 2023.

  On PDP  crisis , Oshiomhole threw his weight behind Wike , adding that leadership is about character and not about making agreements that won’t be delivered on.

“Two weeks ago, I had an interview and somebody asked me what are my views with particular reference to the issues in PDP as it relate to Your Excellency (Wike),” Oshiomhole told the Rivers governor.

“I said Wike is my man of the year because he is insisting that politics is not about making agreements that we do not intend to deliver on. Leadership is about character,” he added.

Oshiomhole also recalled that the 17 Southern governors in Nigeria met on May 11, 2021, in Asaba, Delta State, and resolved that the next President of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern region.

According to him, the Asaba Declaration by governors across party divides was on their own free will and they were united on where the next President should come from.

“So, if you voluntarily reach an agreement, you are expected to obey your agreement. Now, if you disobey the agreement and said, ‘No, I will stand with the agreement’, what is wrong with that?” Oshiomhole queried.

He lauded Wike for the many “beautiful projects” in Rivers, saying results are stubborn and don’t lie.

Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had invited members of opposition political parties to inaugurate projects in the oil-rich South-South state.