Governors Nyesom Wike and Seyi Makinde on Friday paid homage to Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the Defence House in Abuja ahead of the May 29 inauguration and called on Nigerians to rally behind the incoming administration.
Mr Tinubu was moved to the Defence House following his arrival from a month-long holiday in Europe ahead of next month’s inauguration and has since been receiving visitors from various sectors of the public as he makes plans for the new administration.
Speaking to the journalists during the visit, Mr Wike, who occasionally threw his weight behind Mr Tinubu during the election at the expense of his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, urged Nigerians to give the incoming government all the necessary support.
He also expressed strong confidence in Mr Tinubu’s ability to turn Nigeria’s misfortunes around.
“Elections have come and gone. The winner has emerged and therefore it is necessary for all Nigerians to give him the necessary support for the interest of Nigeria,” said the Rivers State governor. “I am confident that he has what it takes to turn Nigeria around,” Mr Wike added.
Mr Makinde also re-echoed his Rivers state counterpart’s message of togetherness, stating that “elections are over” and called on Nigerians to support Mr Tinubu-led incoming administration.
“I came here to basically pay homage to the President-elect and to let him know that elections are over and this is [time for ]governance and we would do our best to give him support for the good governance of Nigeria,” the Oyo governor noted.
Messrs Wike and Makinde and other members of PDP G-5 opposed the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar for presidency, stating that presidential power must shift to the Southern region of the country following eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.
