The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has congratulated Nyesom Wike on his re-election victory as Rivers State governor.
After a protracted process that took nearly one month to conclude, Wike was declared the winner of the March 9, 2019 election on Wednesday, April 3, earning him a second term in the Rivers State Government House.
In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said Wike's victory comes as no surprise because he's demonstrated his commitment to the people in his first term to earn another one.
He further commended the governor for emerging victorious despite the antics of the opposition forces in the state.
He said, "As a committed and resilient leader who has constantly demonstrated your commitment to the development of your state, in particular, and Nigeria as a whole, the new decisive mandate that your people have entrusted in you is not surprising to anyone.
"In this regard, as you prepare to embark on the new mandate that the great people of Rivers State have entrusted in you and our great party, PDP, I wish you the utmost grace and wisdom of the Almighty for the task ahead."
After the final collation of results on Wednesday, INEC announced Wike winner for scoring a total of 886,264 votes while Biokpomabo Awara of the African Action Congress (AAC) finished a distant second with 173,859 votes.
Awara was backed by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state because the APC could not participate in the election due to internal divisions.
The APC chieftain was accused by Wike and the PDP of using soldiers to attempt to rig the election in Awara's favour.
INEC indefinitely suspended all electoral processes in the oil-rich state due to widespread disruption of the March 9 elections, and only resumed collation on Tuesday, April 2.