Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has lauded Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State, for supporting the shift of power to southern Nigeria at the expense of his bid for a seat in the Senate.

Wike spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the Government Secondary School Kpor, in Rivers State’s Gokana Local Government Area.

In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, Ortom and a few other disgruntled governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged that the presidency be switched from the north to the south.

Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are the other G5 governors (Enugu).

In the run-up to the presidential election on February 25, Ortom campaigned against Atiku Abubakar’s ambition on the grounds that he is a northerner. Ortom publicly stated his support for Labour Party candidate Peter Obi (LP). Despite hailing from Benue State, the outgoing governor did not get along well with Iyorchia Ayu, the then-National party’s Chairman.

Titus Zam of the All Progressives Congress defeated Ortom in his bid to become the senator for Benue North-West on the PDP platform (APC). Moreover, the PDP was defeated by the APC in the governor’s race in Benue on March 18.

However, Wike asserted that Ortom actually won the election despite suffering losses in both the gubernatorial and the senate elections.

Wike thanked Ortom for backing the power shift to the south, adding that his decision made some critics gang up against the Benue governor.

“You may think you have lost, but you didn’t lose, you are the winner,” Wike said.

“Let me thank you for standing firm that the presidency should go to the South, you paid for it but history will be with you.

“When the time came for people to stand up, for Nigeria to be united, you came out and said ‘Yes, I’m from this zone yet for equity and fairness, it will be for the unity of this country if the presidency is zoned to the South’.

“We will be wherever you are, we will give you every support that you require from Rivers State. Because of your fight, people stood up and fought you. Yes, you lost your Senate, but you made it clear in leadership. God will continue to bless, and guide you.”