Wike: How I was nearly killed by poisoning at PDP secretariat in 2018

Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers state, says he was nearly killed by poisoning in 2018.

Speaking on Sunday during a thanksgiving service at the St. Peters Anglican Church in Obio-Akpor LGA of Rivers state, Wike said he escaped death twice during his time as governor of the state.

The former governor said he was hurriedly flown out of the country for medical treatment.

“I never knew that I had been poisoned in our party secretariat. My intestinal were all black. The doctors did all they could do,” Wike said.

“God was in charge; everybody who knew how we came to power in 2015, knew it was turbulent. But God saw us through. When you are in office, many people think things are going well with you. Nobody wants to find out the problems you are facing as a human.

“In December 2018, it was a day my former chief of staff was going to have thanksgiving. I was to attend that thanksgiving. From that Sunday, I never came down from my room. It was bad. But those who attended the January 1st state banquet of 2019 will know that I never spoke that day.

“I just sat down there and told the deputy governor to speak on my behalf. I thought it was over.”

The former Rivers governor said after the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022, one of the engines of the aircraft he boarded while travelling to Abuja exploded few minutes after take-off.

“Fifteen minutes of take off at the airforce base, we heard an explosion. They locked the cockpit. One engine is gone and the pilot said it was safer to turn back to Port Harcourt,” Wike said.

“Before we landed, there were many ambulances and fire service trucks lined up. We landed safely by the Grace of God. I didn’t tell anybody.”

Wike said he kept the incidents secret to avoid frightening his supporters.

The former Rivers governor explained why he supported Godswill Akpabio’s bid for president of the 10th senate.

Wike said Akpabio supported him with N200 million when he was contesting for governor in 2014.

“When I was running in 2014 and 2015, he came out and supported me. He gave me N200m for that election. That was why I said one good turn deserves another. I supported him this time and I thank God he won,” he said.