Reports on Tinubu’s offer of senatorial ticket false, baseless – Wike

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday described as misleading reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, offered him a senatorial ticket in London last month.

A section of the media had on Friday quoted the governor as saying that Tinubu tried to lure him to APC with a senatorial ticket during his chat with journalists at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The APC candidate and Wike met in the British capital last month.

The governor, who reacted to the reports in a statement issued by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, said he did not mention Tinubu when the issue of senatorial ticket came up during the media chat.

The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report in some national dailies and online newspapers, particularly, Sahara Reporters that the All Progressives Congress presidential Candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, offered the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, senatorial ticket to defect to the APC.

“Governor Wike was alleged to have disclosed this during the media chat that was aired on Channels Television, African Independent Television, Nigerian Television Authority and TVC on Friday, September 23, 2022.

“We wish to state emphatically that this news is false, baseless and ludicrous as the Rivers State governor throughout the media chat never mentioned the name of the APC presidential candidate or alluded to him offering him a senatorial ticket.

“To lay the facts bare, we have decided to include herein the transcript of what governor Wike said concerning senatorial form.

READ ALSO: Group accuses Wike of working for Tinubu

“Here is what the governor said: ‘I never collected a senatorial form. Even after the whole thing, people said come and go for the Senate, I said no. I won’t do that. I’ve already made a commitment that this Senate ticket should be zoned to Etche because they’ve never had it before. I must not be in power.’

“In an era of the increasingly divisive political climate, the tendency to pervert the truth is extremely high.

“It is on this basis that we wish to remind journalists that journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.

“At this critical juncture in our nation, we wish to remind journalists that getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. Journalists are enjoined to always strive for accuracy and give all the relevant facts in their reports.

“We, therefore, urge the unsuspecting public not to give any credence to these false, baseless, and ill-motivated reports.”

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