Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been warned to stay away from the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for October 10th.
The warning was given by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State against the backdrop of Wike’s declaration on Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, would win the guber poll.
Wike stated this on Friday when he featured on Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He had, during the programme, alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to win the poll for Akeredolu, following the victory of PDP in Edo State.
But, Akeredolu fired back at Wike, saying the Rivers governor would not have any room to influence the process at the poll.
The Ondo governor spoke through his Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogor.
Akeredolu said: “In all aspects, Governor Wike deserves respect not just as governor but as a critical stakeholder in the democratic journey. He has his inalienable rights as a citizen to express his mind and make comments about whatever he feels strongly about.
“However, what amuses us is his imperious attitude and recourse to spurious allegations just because of an election. He should know that the people of the Ondo State who have a history of rejecting external influence and domination, will resist his attempt to play the role of a godfather in Ondo state. Ondo is not Rivers.
“The man ought to know that utterances of public office holders must be measured and their delivery ought to be in line with the mood of the people. The people of the state will resist Wike here even if he had roared elsewhere successfully. For emphasis, his imperialistic approach is most unfortunate and very unbecoming.”