The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has asserted that during the presidential campaign, he never opposed Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

According to Wike, he supported the country's power shifting from the north to the south, which is why he never opposed Tinubu or Obi.

The governor declared himself to be an "apostle" of Nigeria's southern region as the new center of power.

He spoke at the opening of the Chokocho-Igbodo Road in Rivers State's Etche Local Government Area.

The governor emphasized that he owed no one an explanation for his support of the South's power rotation.

“Whether you voted for Labour or not, I have no problem with you. Whether you voted for APC or not, I have no problem with you. That is what we have argued: that the North has had it for eight years. Therefore, the south must have been there for eight years.

“As far as I am concerned, anybody from the south, that is my position." That is what we agreed in the Integrity Group: we must make sure that the south emerges as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Each time I went for a campaign, nobody has ever heard me criticize Obi. Nobody has ever heard me criticize Asiwaju. "I owe nobody any apology that people voted for the southern presidency,” he said.

Wike disregarded Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prior to the 2023 presidential election.

The Integrity Group, led by Wike, had pushed for a rotation of the presidency from the North to the South.

The governor also called for the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to be replaced by a Southerner.

He noted that the North can’t produce the PDP’s presidential candidate and national chairman.