Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the staggering 328,823 votes recorded for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area during the just-concluded council elections in Rivers State.
Wike, whose kinsman Gift Worlu emerged winner of the LGA chairmanship election, insisted there was nothing unusual about the figures, stressing that Obio-Akpor residents often take local elections more seriously than even governorship contests.
Speaking at his monthly media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike pushed back against doubts over the credibility of the results. He argued that local polls are closer to the grassroots, where people turn out massively because “councilorship is like community or family affairs.”
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had earlier declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) winners in 20 of the 23 LGAs, but the PDP’s wide margin in Obio-Akpor sparked mixed reactions. Some Nigerians questioned how such a huge number of votes could be cast in one council election.
Wike dismissed the skepticism, pointing to his own political history in the area. “I was chairman of that local government, and the record was very clear. Nobody had two terms there, but I broke that history. I was also governor from that area—you can’t take that away from me,” he said.
He accused critics of chasing headlines without facts, stressing that the outcome reflected the will of his people. “We won, and my people believe. Whether you like it or not, that is the reality,” Wike declared.
