The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday dismissed opposition criticism of the Rivers council elections, insisting no court had declared the polls illegal.
Reacting to comments by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra governor Peter Obi, who described the elections as unlawful, Wike maintained the polls were lawfully conducted and widely commended as free and fair.
At a media parley, he said: “I don’t blame Atiku; he didn’t know his boss signed the emergency rule in 2004. If he had worked closely with [former] President Obasanjo, he would have known the President has the power to make regulations for emergency areas. What you don’t know, don’t comment about. If Atiku spoke on Customs, fair enough — but this is law. He doesn’t know that the 2024 emergency rule was signed by his boss.”
He also criticised Obi, saying: “Obi conducted local government elections only two months before leaving office after eight years as Anambra governor. Does he have the moral right to talk about a properly conducted election backed by law?”
Wike further argued that both men were disgruntled because Rivers State, once a major funding source for politicians, had been cut off.
“Their anger is that they are looking for where to get funding, and now it’s no longer available in Rivers State. They lack the capacity and moral authority to speak on this,” he said.
He praised the security agencies and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), noting that for the first time there were no gunshots, ballot box snatching or abduction of officials.
The elections, conducted on Saturday across all 23 LGAs, saw the APC win 20 councils, while the PDP secured three.