A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-South, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has expressed doubts in the sincerity of the Rivers state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to truly allow the people of the state live in a peaceful and secure environment.
Eze's conclusion, which was contained in a statement issued and circulated to the media in Port Harcourt on Friday, streamed from alleged recent decision of the Governor to heat up the atmosphere in the state by continuing to victimise perceived opponents, including his former boss and immediate predecessor, Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, whose Port Harcourt home reportedly was invaded at the behest of the State government. The video attached attests to this unfortunate incident.
This attack followed immediately Governor Wike boasted in a TV interview that Amaechi has become so unpopular that he can't move around Port Harcourt safely without Security escort and on a day that the Minister was expected to visit Port Harcourt. The Commissioner of Police must be commended by the quick intervention to repel the attack.
Eze wonders that if the life of Amaechi whose feats during his eight years governance of Rivers State is termed to be the golden age of Rivers State is not safe in Port Harcourt then who is safe in Rivers state. This issue must be investigated thoroughly and the culprits arrested accordingly as we can no longer continue to live in fear in a State that we call ours.
Eze also highlighted that Governor Wike in the said interview stated that the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State has improved tremendously under his watch but the question the Governor refused to answer is, "what had he achieved with the improved IGR and billions of Naira that accrued to the State through the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee. The Governor have totally achieved nothing with all the huge funds at his disposal as he allows the State to have the highest number of unemployed youths and unpaid salaries to civil servants and pension to Pensioners all these factors have enhanced insecurity in the State.
Eze, who was spokesman of the defunct new People's Democratic Party (nPDP), observed in the statement that the governor had ignored wise counsels that could help his administration to restore the currently troubled state back to what it used to be in the peaceful and golden era of the Rotimi Amaechi reign, adding that the governor had decided to rather forge on with his wars of attrition against the APC and its core leadership in the state, neglecting to consider how harsh the results of his ignoring to give true leadership has been on the people of the state. On daily basis members of APC and other innocent indigenes are being killed without anybody raising any question. This scenario is very sad, unfortunate and unacceptable.
The party chieftain had recently, in a statement addressed to Wike, suggested a couple of answers to solving the fearsome peace and security realities in the state, admonishing him to offer true leadership as governor of the state for the period the laws will allow him to be in office and discard all political activities that had hitherto distracted him from being an exemplary leader. Wike had earlier called a truce in the face off between him and the APC in the state.
"I have tried to keep mute on some untoward activities happening in Rivers state to avoid being seen as a clog in the wheel of progress on the current peace moves, aimed at arresting the insecurity currently pervading our dear State but must we continue to keep quiet in a situation that we need to call the Governor to order for the greater future of Rivers State, Eze queries
"In support of the search for peace in Rivers state, I went further to propose a seven point agenda or strategies that can enable us achieve a lasting peace in our state. I am happy to note that Rivers state elders and indigenes in the Diaspora, including those living in and the outside the state, have massively come out to commend me for a well thought out strategy on how to curb insecurity in the state and prayed that His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike, will critically study them, with hopes he will adopt and implement them for the emancipation and development of the state.
"To the glory of God not minding very glaring shortcomings, the Governor, through the Attorney General of the state, dropped the trumped up charge of murder against Hon. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, the APC Chairman in Rivers state, as advised in my list of steps or blueprint to achieving peace peace in the state.
"Sadly, however, other recommendations, including candid suggestion that the Governor should dismantle his probe panel on some of Amaechi's former commissioners, the Judicial Panel to try Tonye Cole, the APC gubernatorial candidate during the last futile general election and Chidi Lloyd, as well as other APC leaders listed to be tried, seem to have been jettisoned.
"At this point, it will be safe to say if we are canvassing for peace, we should be sincere about it and if we want to nurture the persisting insecurity in the state, let us expressly say so and stop deceiving the general public.
"Sadly the governor has abrogated and relieved himself of his constitutionally assigned role as the Chief Security Officer of the State and the only person empowered to ensure the security of all Nigerians residing in his state by handing same key role to the traditional rulers in state when he summoned them to the Government House and threatened to derobe any of them in whose domain cultist activities are found again.
"This contradicts my position that a Peace/Security/Reconciliation Summit should be convoked to suggest why we are having this type of situation in Rivers state and proffer solutions
"Apart from these steps by the governor, nothing concrete is either done to address some of the strategies I suggested and sadly the governor is still presenting an antagonistic posture against his erstwhile boss and benefactor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. In a recent Channels TV interview, Wike was live on national television criticising and running down the Minister. The icing on the cake of these provocative and aggressive stand of the governor was the attacking of the Minister's house in Port Harcourt. This can't be said to be the best strategy to restore peace in the state.
"I therefore call on our elders, statesmen, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to meet to prevail on the governor to see himself as the Governor of Rivers State and not a Governor on self destructive mission. We must secure Rivers State no matter the odds" he said.
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