Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A socio-political group, the One-on-One-Network has raised alarm, alleging that massive recruitment of political advisers by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike was targeted at, “unleashing political violence in Rivers State ahead of the 2023 general elections.”
Aside the 28, 000 advisers for various political units in the state, Wike also appointed 319 Ward Liaison Officers and 40 Local Government Area Liaison Officers.
A statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, by the Director- General of the Network, LoveGod Nweze, alleged that Wike had by the appointment recruited renowned thugs and cultists as advisers.
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), international communities, civil society organisations and others to call the Rivers State Governor to order not to set the state ablaze.
Nweze further appealed to the security and law enforcement agencies to shun alleged Wike’s entreaties to compromise as agents for political witch hunt even as he urged them to beam ‘their search lights on this wave of merchants of violence disguised as 14,319 recruits being primed to be unleashed on the political landscape.’
“We have been witnesses to executive rascality and abuse of office as being exhibited by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State especially as it relates to the forthcoming general elections.
“First, he pronounced and signed what we considered Decree 21, only fashionable and workable in a Military Junta and not the democracy we professed to be practicing, which mandates political parties to get near-impossible government approval for political activities, after paying as high as a non-refundable five million naira per activities.
“This is clearly intended to frustrate the activities of perceived political opponents and other political parties. Recall that this same Wike when he contested to be governor was against the then Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and he was not prevented from using any of the state-owned facilities for his political activities and engagements.
“Also, yesterday’s appointment of over 14, 000 persons by the governor is another illustration that the governor’s intention is a subterfuge towards unleashing political violence in Rivers State ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“Also, why will the governor be desperate to bring further opprobrium to the state by wasting scarce resources on frivolities when our parents are still being owed, denied their pensions and gratuities and our various communities are yearning for developments?
“A conservative monthly payment analysis of N200,000 each to the 14, 459 appointed persons will set the state back to a tune of over N2 billion monthly and add it to other operational cost such as transportation and others, over four billion naira will have gone down the drain from the state coffers.”
