Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara was fully involved in the conduct of the recent local government election in Rivers State.
Speaking in a televised interview on Thursday, Wike dismissed claims that the exercise was carried out without the governor’s knowledge or approval.
He revealed that he personally visited Fubara’s residence in the early hours of the morning to consult with him on the matter.
“The governor wanted to come and see me, but I said no, you’re the governor. So I drove to his house at 1 a.m. I, the former governor of Rivers State, went to him and asked, ‘Your Excellency, what do we do?’ There was nothing that happened without his input,” Wike said.
According to him, Fubara had informed him ahead of time that he would be unavailable during the polls due to his son’s engagement.
Wike also accused unnamed individuals of peddling false claims about the election because they had expected a fallout between him and the governor. “People just sit somewhere and begin to talk all kinds of things they don’t know, simply because they expected a quarrel.
“Unfortunately, where people used to collect money is no longer there,” he added.