Tag: Nyesom Wike

Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, has presented his developmental blueprint to reposition the state.

Titled: A New Rivers State, New Vision, New Thinking, Better Possibilities, the blueprint is expected to guide his administration, if he wins the February 28 election, to address developmental challenges across the state.

Presenting the blueprint on Monday to a cross section of Rivers residents in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike said: “My administration will end the misery of Rivers people and set the people on the path of development.

“The mandate of the people is the promise of hope. The Rivers people are expected to choose between a risky continuity and a purposeful leadership propelled by a dynamic team.

“I know from our interactions that the people will vote in the PDP to enthrone a new Rivers State.”

 

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the emergence of the former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate will make it easier for the progressives’ party to win next year’s election.

In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, APC State Chairman Davies Ikanya said: “This means an easy victory for us as he cannot in any way be compared with our candidate, the very reputable and visionary Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside.”

The statement by his Media Aide, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, noted that following Wike’s, emergence, the stage was set as “the battle is now between the Rivers State people and the forces of darkness, which the PDP represents”.

The APC chairman condemned the process the PDP took to produce Wike.

He noted that the Presidency and PDP’s national body had proved that they were not sensitive to the yearnings of Rivers State, where zoning had always worked for the stability of the state.

Ikanya stressed that if Wike could be allowed to emerge, after the alarm raised by the 16 other PDP governorship aspirants that were allegedly duped of their hard-earned money, it implied that “the outcome of the process had already been determined by forces whose hatred for Rivers State is legendary and it speaks volumes about the extent to which the Presidency and the PDP national leadership are prepared to go to humiliate the good people of Rivers State”.

APC expressed disappointment that President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership disregarded the warnings and pleas by Rivers State elders, like Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, Chief Albert Horsfall and Jonathan’s ethnic Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, on the dangers of fielding Wike.

He said the emergence of the former minister of state was a danger signal to the peace, progress and unity of Rivers State.

The decision of PDP, Ikanya also added, “demonstrates the level of disdain and scorn the Presidency and PDP leadership have for Rivers State and her people”.

Describing Wike’s emergence as “an illogical imposition”, the APC chairman wondered why the PDP could not emulate what APC did, by fielding a candidate from the coastal area.

He said the upland had ruled the state for almost 16 years through Dr Peter Odili and Chibuike Amaechi.

He urged the people to vote for Peterside and APC in nextb year’s elections.

 

•Ex-minister seeks support of other aspirants

RIVERS State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) governorship primary election has produced Chief Nyesom Wike as the party’s candidate.

The election was held at the open field of Nkpolu Primary School in Obio/Akpor Local government Area.

He was declared the winner of the primary election by the state electoral panel after scoring 1,083 of 1108 votes cast by the delegates from 23 local government areas.

Of the 24 aspirants announced by the electoral panel at the beginning of the election, only six aspirants, including Wike, was present at the venue.

Besides Wike, aspirants present included Senator Lee Maeba, Ibinabo Micheal West, Emmanuel Georgewill, Captain Nwankwo Sunday, and Dembari Ben Dimkpa.

In his acceptance speech, Wike said he was happy for his victory, which he dedicated to God.

He also promised to work with other aspirants to ensure victory in the election.

His words:  “I am deeply humbled and elated by the electoral success at this state congress of our party. It is unique and interesting that you have son worthy to be entrusted with the enormous task to fly the flag of the party in 2015 in Rivers State.

“I dedicate this victory to God Almighty, who made today’s victory possible. It is victory for democracy; it is a victory for all of us who have struggled day and night as foot-solders of PDP in Rivers State.  I hereby invite my fellow contestants, as worthy gladiators, to join hand with us to move Rivers State forward.

“At least, for the task of ensuring victory in Rivers State and the task of ensuring the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. And in my honour, I extend the olive branch to all combatants, we should work together to assiduously recover everything.

“We have come a long way in PDP in Rivers State; we must unite to destroy impunity and rascality. Since 1999, Rivers State remained the same heaven for the PDP. The party has always maintained the highest enviable record of being humble and dedicated to the service of the people.

“Then came the era of rascality and impunity; the same era of impunity has caused Rivers State dearly. Today, Rivers State has attracted unnecessary enmity and rejection by most public participants. The State House of Assembly, where laws are been made for the interest of the state, is today under lock. It is a must to take over Rivers State in 2015.”

The Southsouth and Southeast chapters of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have warned President Goodluck Jonathan that he will lose Rivers State if he allows the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to field the former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, as the party’s governorship candidate in next year’s election.

The zones’ ACF Coordinator Musa Saidu said the Presidency and PDP’s national executive were not being fair to Rivers State coastal residents for giving Wike, an upland man, the governorship ticket.

He recalled that Dr Peter Odili, Sir Celestine Omehia and Chibuike Amaechi, all upland men, had led the state for almost 16 years.

Saidu worked with Wike in 2011 for Amaechi Campaign Organisation. While Wike was the director-general, Saidu represented the civil society committee, a position he used to mobilise votes from northerners in the state for the PDP.

But yesterday in Port Harcourt, the staunch PDP member and Chairman of Northerners in Rivers State, stressed that fielding Wike was tantamount to “injustice and unfairness to riverine people of this state”.

He added: “Wike cannot deliver Rivers State to the PDP.”

The coordinator urged the Presidency and PDP’s national executive committee to review their position on Wike.

Saidu said: “PDP will lose Rivers State, if they fail to produce a riverine candidate.”

He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had done justice to Rivers residents by choosing Dr Dakuku Peterside from the coastal town of Opobo.

According to him, it is expected of PDP to follow suit by fielding a candidate from the coastal area.

Saidu warned that “you don’t expect us, the Northerners, to vote for APC governorship candidate from riverine and then turn round to vote for Jonathan, when the Presidency and PDP have refused to do the right thing”.

He urged the President to “listen to the elders of Rivers State, led by his (Jonathan’s) former boss at the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), Chief Albert Horsfallb by asking Wike to drop his ambition to save PDP from disgrace”.

 

Sixteen aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants and 2,100 delegate-aspirants in Rivers State have said they will shun the appeal panel set up by the national headquarters of the party to examine the complaints arising from last Saturday’s ward congress.

Allegations of irregularity marred the congress in most wards.

The aggrieved aspirants alleged that the three-man appeal panel are cronies of former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, who is also a PDP governorship aspirant.

They alleged that the panel members – Afam Okeke (Chairman), Ferdinand Ibezim (Secretary) and Lambert Oparah (member) – are Wike’s aides.

A governorship aspirant, Nimi Walson-Jack, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on the decision of the aggrieved aspirants, described the appeal panel as a sham.

He said nobody would appear before it.

Walson-Jack said: “The appeal panel will listen to appeals from those who set it up. It is clear from the characters of those selected for the appeal panel that it has been compromised from the onset.

“We, the group of 16 governors acting under the coalition of governorship aspirants, do not have any iota of confidence in the so-called appeal panel. We will have nothing to do with it. We will not and cannot give legitimacy to a sham. Let them regale themselves with the premeditated charade they have since designed for the interest of an aspirant against the collective interest and electoral fortune of our party.”

Another aspirant, Prince Tonye Princewill, told reporters in Port Harcourt, yesterday, that the “state chapter of the PDP does not have a properly constituted executive committee in all the wards and local government areas”.

 

 

Princewill said: “The PDP in Rivers State has not undertaken any registration of new party members and did not revalidate old members, as required after the exit of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Besides, the party did not display party registers at the various wards, prior to the conduct of the ward congresses, as stipulated by the PDP constitution and guidelines.”

He added: “The congress has already been done. The panel, which came from the national headquarters to conduct the ward primaries, has been settled and the electoral umpire has been compromised.”

The group reiterated its demand that the principle of rotation and zoning, enshrined in Chapter 7 (3) (c)of party’s constitution, be upheld, if the PDP does not want to lose the state in next year’s elections.

It insisted that unless the grievances on the ward primaries were addressed, the fortunes of the PDP in the 2015 elections might be jeopardised.

In a protest letter the group wrote to PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, it faulted the process that culminated into the conduct of last weekend’s ward congresses in the 23 local government areas.

The coalition, which described the congresses as “a fraud”, added that its conduct “contravened the constitution of the PDP and due process”.

The aspirants urged Mu’azu to call the National Deputy Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, to order.

They alleged that he was supporting a particular candidate, which disqualified him to participate in the selection of a governorship candidate for the party in Rivers State.

The Director-General of Major Lancelot Anyanya Campaign Organisation, Soalabo West, also addressed reporters in Port Harcourt yesterday on behalf of the 2,100 delegate-aspirants.

He alleged that none of the delegate-aspirants, who were prevented from submitting their nomination forms, would appear before the appeal because they have no confidence in its members to impartially address their complaints.

West said: “The warped thinking that informed the choice of membership for these panels, amid the many excellent personalities in our party, is an insult on the intelligence of every member and leadership of our great party.”

This, he said, explained why the governorship aspirants opposed the participation of Secondus in “the choice of governorship candidate for the PDP in Rivers State”.

West also said the 2,100 delegate-aspirants could not participate in the ward congresses because officials from PDP’s secretariat refused to collect their nomination forms at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja.

The politician said this followed the refusal of officials from PDP’s secretariat in Port Harcourt to sell nomination forms to them.

He said they too would boycott the appeal panel, which began sitting yesterday in Port Harcourt.

The panel is expected to hear complaints from aggrieved party members from the 319 wards in the 23 local government areas within 48 hours.

Reacting to the grievances of the governorship and delegate-aspirants, PDP State Secretary Opuene Ibibia Walters urged the panel not to listen to those who boycotted last Saturday’s primaries.

He said: “In the course of your assignment, I urge you to entertain complaints from only those who participated in the ward congresses of our great party. I do not know of what complaints anyone who did not participate in the ward congresses will make to your panel. How can anyone complain against the conduct of an exercise that he or she did not participate in?”