Dakuku Peterside to Wike: You have no moral right to speak on credible elections

Dakuku Peterside, former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), says Nyesom Wike, Rivers governor, has no right to speak of credible electoral processes.

On Sunday, Wike had raised an alarm over alleged plans to rig the 2023 general election, adding that he is concerned why Nigeria has not adopted the electronic transmission of election results.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Peterside, former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, described Wike as a hypocrite.

“Here is Wike that the Appeal Court agreed that he mindlessly rigged 2015 governorship election, with the death of hundreds of Rivers people and usage of underhand tactics to ride into power,” Peterside said.

“Rivers people lost their loved ones in no less than six LGAs all because of the desperation of one man who sadistically chose to grab power by all means possible.

“This is the same governor who is on record to have given INEC officials over N300m to rig election in Rivers State, the same man who is alleged to have bribed judges to sway decisions in his favour.

“How can such notorious person pontificate over how to conduct free, fair and credible election? He has absolutely no moral right to speak on credible electoral processes.”

He said the Rivers governor has borrowed huge amounts of money while criticising the federal government for making the same financial decision.

“As of today, Rivers State government is owing over N300bn from different sources. This is an administration that has received N110bn from Paris Club refund, N78bn for roads constructed by his predecessor, over N2.5trn from federal allocation without commensurate works to show for it,” he stated.

“Only yesterday, the state executive council approved further borrowing of N25bn without stating where the money would be borrowed from and how much is allocated to each of the items that necessitated the borrowing; things are just shrouded in secrecy and lack of open bidding or following due process.

“Under Wike’s administration, Rivers people have not been opportune to see the state’s budget in the last six years, hence do not even know what is contained in it and be able to benchmark his claims.”