Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, stopped by Government House in Port Harcourt after his campaigning in Rivers on Wednesday.
He was greeted by Governor Nyesom Wike, head of the G-5, which is at odds with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership and has refused to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate.
According to sources, Tinubu secured the campaign location for free, whereas Atiku had to cancel his campaign in Rivers due to a string of controversy.
According to reports, Wike and Tinubu met overseas to finalize their electoral strategy for 2023, but both men denied the claims.
Tinubu and Wike have had a couple of meetings in the run-up to the 2023 elections, and prominent APC leaders have launched projects that Wike’s administration has overseen.
According to a Daily Trust report, Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, was not seen at Tinubu’s campaign event in Rivers.
Amaechi, who is the APC leader in the state, came in second place to Tinubu in the APC Presidential Primaries.
Rumors were stoked that things between the former minister and the APC presidential candidate are not good due to his absence from the gathering at Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt.
However, according to APC State Publicity Secretary Darlington Nwauju, the former Minister was unable to attend the gathering because of his commitments to academic work.
“If you are not aware, the former Transportation Minister is a Law school student and is attending to his academics. But you must also know that Amaechi is firmly in charge of the APC structure in Rivers State,” he stated.
The romance between Tinubu and Wike, the former minister’s estranged ally, has drawn criticism from some of Amaechi’s allies which may be the actual reason why Amaechi wasn’t present at the campaign rally.