Wike’s Statement On Visit Of President Buhari To Rivers Is Unfortunate, Untoward – APC
Loading ...….Directs Wike to Withdraw the Statement as a Matter of Urgency
The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a
statement signed by its State Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies Ibiamu
Ikanya and circulated by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze his Media
Consultant on Friday to Media Organisations stated that the leadership
of Rivers State APC has counselled itself not to react to most of the
unfortunate and misguided innuendos usually credited to Governor
Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike of Rivers State as the party is not so sure of
the soundness of his mind but attacking and using uncouth words on
President Muhammadu Buhari, the President and Commander in Chief of
the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not a comment
the party can sweep under the carpet.
Governor Wike in the said statement attempts to incite the Rivers
State people against their President by insinuating that the President
abandoned the State since he assumed office. The exact words of Gov
Wike: “Since the administration has abandoned Rivers State for three
years, this visit may be a blessing in disguise”. To us this statement
is inciting, provoking, uncouth and unacceptable and should be
withdrawn as a matter of urgency as we will not for any reason risk
the life of our dear President in the hands of Gov Wike and his
misguided cohorts.
The party warned Wike that the President’s visit is not the same as
the visit of some Northern Governors that visited Port Harcourt in
2014 to sympathise with their colleague the then Governor of Rivers
State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi over the wicked humiliation he
suffered in the hands of Wike and his collaborators. The party
recalled with nostalgia how Wike then State Minister of Education of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria ordered his militia group the
Grassroot Development Initiative (GDI) to attack these Governors in
2014. The party warns that incase Wike is nursing similar thought
against President Buhari during his visit he should bury it before it
germinates as the scenario is no longer thesame as that of 2014.
The party states that, “Our fear is not misplaced as we all know the
type of politics associated with Wike – politics of violence but we
wish to reiterate that no harm should be visited either on our
President or any member of his delegates for any reason whatsoever
during the said visit”.
The party further stated that the visit of Mr. President is to
commiserate with the people of Omoku in ONELGA for the sad and
unfortunate killings of their loved ones during the New Year massacre
by some associates of Governor Wike and not to come and commission
Motor Parks and markets as projects allegedly claimed to have been
constructed by Governor Wike.
On the false allegation that President Buhari abandoned Rivers State
since he assumed office, the party reiterated that the present Federal
Government under the watchful eyes of President Buhari has not and
will not abandon Rivers State knowing very well the risks that most of
us took to get him elected even at the risk of our lives in the hands
of Gov Wike and his collaborators.
The party affirmed this by stating that President Buhari has visited
Rivers State on four remarkable occasions through Vice President Yemi
Osibanjo to either establish a peace pact in Niger Delta region,
commission or flag off key projects in Rivers State and for Gov Wike
because of politics to turn around to accuse President Buhari of
abandoning Rivers State is to us unacceptable, wicked, evil, divisive
and exhibition of ingratitude to a man who have done much to develop
Rivers State and the Niger Delta region.
For avoidance of doubt, the party recalled that Prof Yemi Osibanjo
with the express approval of President Buhari visited Rivers State to
kick-start the Ogoni cleanup exercise abandoned by the PDP government
with the connivance of Governor Wike; visited Rivers State to kick
start the Bonny-Bodo Road and was in Rivers State in another occasion
to inaugurate the world-class fertilizer plant built by Indorama Eleme
Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited, in Port Harcourt among other visits
by the Presidency.
Gov. Wike forgot so soon that Dr. Jonathan a son of the region in his
six years as the President of Nigeria acknowledged that he failed
Rivers State and the Niger Delta region by not embarking on any
meaningful project in the region apart from imposing him Chief Nyesom
Wike as the Governor of Rivers State to promote insecurity in the
State and the region.
The party further stated that the APC led FG under President Buhari
has proved within less than three years that APC has the best interest
of the State and region at heart by the various interventions the
Federal Government has embarked upon in the region within the last
three years:
1. The party recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari Administration
released a whopping sum of N900 billion owed the Niger Delta
Development Corporation (NDDC) by previous federal administrations
including the administration of Dr. Jonathan to assist the body
complete most of her projects in Rivers State and other States in the
Niger Delta region.
2. Rivers State will benefit from the unprecedented allocation of over
one Hundred and twenty five billion Naira (N125b) out of the N8.612
trillion appropriation bill presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 to the National Assembly to fund capital
projects in 2018 in the Niger Delta region.
3. Rivers State will surely benefit from the N53.89 billion earmarked
for Niger Delta Ministry and N71.2 billion for Niger Delta Development
Commission for capital projects, also to benefit from the budgetary
allocation for the Niger Delta amnesty programme retained at N65
billion with the budgetary allocation of N17.32 billion earmarked for
the completion of the East-West Road.
4. Rivers State will benefit from the Maritime University located at
Okerenkoko in Delta State with N5bn budgeted in the 2018 budget for
its formal take off. This is a university aimed at to assist in the
development and emancipation of the Niger Delta region
5. To demonstrate the seriousness over the full implementation of the
Ogoni clean-up exercise and the execution of the Multi-Billion Naira
Bomu-Bonny road project budgetary provisions were all made in the 2018
budget which when completed would open up the economic potentials of
the Niger Delta Region beyond the shores of Nigeria all in Rivers
State.
6. The APC-led Federal Government apart from above named projects,
embarked upon the following projects – the Calabar – Lagos Rail Line
that cuts across the State, the renovation/reconstruction of both
Enugu – Port Harcourt and the West-East Road, the renovation of the
Afam Power plant in Rivers State, resumption of work on the Port
Harcourt International Airport, renovation and reconstruction of the
Enugu – Port Harcourt Rail Line, among other projects all these
projects that were abandoned by the PDP governments.
The Rivers State people should call Wike to order and ask him to
explain how President Buhari has abandoned the State while embarking
upon all these named projects.
Gov Wike in his misguided statement titled, “BUHARI’S VISIT TO RIVERS
WILL NOT REVIVE DEAD APC IN THE STATE.” further stated and we quote,
“Maybe the President is coming to make sure that he will improve the
fortunes of the APC that is dead in Rivers State. Apart from Jesus
Christ, we don’t know of anyone who has risen a dead thing. APC is a
dead party in Rivers State. No matter how you fast and pray, it will
never wake up”.
The party described Wike’s statement as laughable because a party with
two Senators (Senator Abe and Senator Uchendu) to Wike’s dying party
(PDP) one sleeping Senator can’t be said to be a dead party in Rivers
state unless he was misquoted. The party expresses joy that Wike by
today is the Chief Campaign Officer of APC for the 2019 general
elections based on his wicked policies against the youths, students,
civil servants, pensioners and foreign investors in the State; “though
we are sad over Wike’s lack of good policies to improve the lots of
our people but we will ensure that he is voted out come 2019
unfailingly to enable us enthrone a government that will be ready to
work for the people of Rivers State.
In the said statement credited to Wike, he stated further, “Let nobody
bother him or herself that the President is coming for security
reasons. We don’t have security challenges in the state” If that is
the case, we will like to ask Governor Wike alias Mr. Disaster, “why
is he budgeting a whopping sum of twenty Billion Naira (N22b) to
establish a private Army Unit named Neighbourhood Watch or is he
saying that he intends to divert this fund to his private businesses.
Wike should educate us on what his actual motive is if we don’t have
any security challenges in the State.
Finally, the party commends and congratulates President Buhari not
only for this initiative to visit the State at this period but to wish
him a happy stay as a true son of the State based on his love and
commitment towards the development of the State.
