Wike: Rivers APC Leaders Gain Recognition by Insulting Me

•  Face PH airport, leave Wike alone, Rivers govt tells Amaechi

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State only gain recognition from the Federal Government when they rain insults on him. He said apart from insulting him on the pages of newspapers and on electronic media, Rivers APC leaders have no political value in the state.
He spoke yesterday when he received hundreds of APC defectors from Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area at the Government House Port Harcourt.

The governor said: “The only way they get recognition from the federal government is by insulting Wike. Apart from that, they are finished politically. They must tell Rivers people what they have attracted to the state. After two and half years, they are unable to attract any project.”

He said both the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Minister of Transportation have nothing to show to Rivers people except their capacity to insult Wike.

The governor stated that his administration has used projects to silence critics, pointing out that more projects would continue in 2018. He said with the level of projects delivery in Rivers State, it would be difficult for anyone to rig elections in the state.

“If you attempt to rig elections here, then you rig your life. You can’t rig election and go free. It is not possible. You want to steal somebody’s vote, anything you see, take it. Robbery is robbery. Instead of using resources to execute projects, they are keeping the money to bribe military and police for rigging”, he said.
The governor wondered why the APC-led federal government is unable to organise a peaceful and credible election. He announced that the State would hold her Local Government election in 2018. On the defection, he commended the APC defectors and assured them that they would enjoy equal opportunities with existing PDP members.

Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, welcomed the APC defectors, noting that they would contribute to more victories of the PDP in the state. Also speaking, Senator Adewari Pepple said the defection was due to outstanding performance of Wike which attracted the APC Members.

Responding, the Chairman of APC Caucus in Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area, Arthur Jaja, said the qualities of Wike convinced them on the need to defect. He said their defection signals the death of APC in the Local Government Area.

Also speaking, President, Vanguard of Opobo Nation (VON) said the defection marks a new dawn in the politics of the area.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State government has described the claim by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, that Governor Wike is not tackling security in the state as a ploy by him (Amaechi) to divert attention from his failure to complete the Port Harcourt International Airport or attract any single project to the State despite the huge state funds he allegedly diverted to the APC for elections.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Emma Okah, advised the former Governor to redeem his fading image by attracting federal government projects to Rivers State like his contemporaries in APC from other states are doing.

“In his time as a Minister, Governor Nyesom Wike was a shining star and brought several projects to Rivers State including the renovation of the secondary school in Ubima.”

On security, Okah said Amaechi was economical with the truth by playing down on Governor Wike’s efforts.
“When Amaechi was governor, high profile kidnap cases were recurring and violent crimes littered his space. Hon. Charles Nsiegbe was killed right under his nose. Amb Igantius Ajuru was also killed. Arch Bishop Kattey was kidnapped, Prof Nimi Briggs was also kidnapped”, Okah said, noting that under Governor Wike “the tide is very low”.
“Rather than living in a faded past or demarketing his state, Rt. Hon Amaechi should concern himself with what he is doing today as a stakeholder to improve the security of lives and property of the people that gave him the finest opportunities in life,” he said.

Okah said the Rivers State Government had repeatedly accused Amaechi of using his federal position to compromise the security architecture of the state by influencing frequent changing of commissioners of Police to the State as well as his support to the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) despite the litany of accusations of kidnapping, robbery, extortion, rape and criminality rained on them by the public in the State.

“Security is a federal concern and as a government, Rivers State has sufficiently funded the security agencies to perform optimally and despite provocations from the SARS, we have never denied them support”, he said, pointing out that the security agencies are generally doing a good job in Rivers State.

“I hope Rt Hon Amaechi has not forgotten how he refused to fund the police in Rivers State because the Commissioner of Police then was not doing his bidding of arresting and detaining his political opponents.”