2019 General Elections: Governor Mocks APC That Their Party Will Not Be On The Ballot

…Accuses Military, Police Of Alleged Plan To Destabilize The State

…Provides Free Buses To Convey Voters To Their Respective Voting Locations

 Daniel Efe

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has called on the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to accept the reality that their party will not be on the ballot for the 2019 General elections  in the state. 

Governor Wike urged the leaders of Rivers APC  to accept the judgment of the Supreme Court  as the will of God, saying that nobody can resurrect a dead horse.

The governor made the call on Thursday  in a State broadcast on the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections coming up on Saturday, 23rd  February, 2019.

The governor said: “Truth be told, the Supreme Court has spoken. INEC has confirmed. It is the will of God and there is nothing anybody can do to return the APC to the ballot for the 2019 general elections in Rivers State. 

“But this, I believe, is not the end of life for the APC in Rivers State. There is always another day and as political leaders, we must have the courage to accept the reality, know when to stop fighting for nothing and tell our followers the simple truth, even if it may sound bitter. I would therefore advice my brothers in the APC to endeavor to put their house in order, allow the prevailing peace to continue and prepare for 2023”.

Governor  Wike  told the Rivers APC to desist from violence, noting that if they  choose to destroy the State or kill and maim everybody because of power or someone else’s ambition to be President, there might  be no one left for them to lord over when everyone is dead.

He said: “Remember, the army and the police officers you are relying on to kill your own people may come and go, but Rivers State will always be. Believe it or not, we are all from Rivers State irrespective of party differences and no other interest can supersede the collective interest of our State.

 “Let me assure everyone that the collective interest of our State will continue to guide our actions and we shall continue to accommodate everybody irrespective of party affiliation in our schemes of governance.”

The governor  said that the State Government  is aware  of the plot by the All Progressives Congress to scuttle the general elections in the State. He said there are point men who are architects of the planned electoral violence in the state.

 He said: “Indeed, the champions of this evil plot met at the residence of one Bestman Amadi and the former Commissioner of Lands Mr. Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi has already mobilized thugs with N10,000,000.00 to attack voters and disrupt the voting exercise in Ikwerre Local Government Area.

“My office is also inundated with reports of the partisan activities of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigeria Army Major General Jamil Sarham and the State Commander of the Anti-Robbery Squad Mr. Victor Akin Fakorede who have signed on to unlawfully deploy military and SARS operatives to actualize the APC’s plot to destabilize the State and create avoidable crisis in the State.

READ ALSO: Governor Again Alleges 6 Division Nigerian Army Plans To Arrest Some Rivers Council Chairmen Ahead

 “We condemn the unprofessional and provocative activities of General Jamil Sarham and Mr. Victor Akin Fakorede and plead with the international community to hold the duo responsible for any election-related violence and or crisis in Rivers State”. 

 He appealed to the National Chairman on Peace , the Chief of Army Staff  and the Inspector General of Police to prevail  on the two partisan security chiefs to excuse themselves from participating  in the elections in Rivers State. 

 He said: ”  I appeal to the Chairman of the National Council on Peace, General Abdusalam Abubakar, the Chief of Army State General Tukur Yusuf Buratai and the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Adamu to prevail on Major General Jamil Sarham and Mr. Akin Fakorede to excuse themselves from elections duties in the State”.

Governor Wike  said that the rescheduled General elections  present  a golden opportunity for Rivers people to partake with the rest of Nigerians to move the  country forward and shape a brighter future for posterity. 

“No sacrifice is too much to pay to sustain our democracy. God loves us and there can be no better opportunity for us to use the power at our disposal to effect the genuine change that we need.

“We should therefore be profoundly inspired and motivated by the frustrations of the postponement of the election to come out in numbers to vote for the candidates of our choice.

“God forbid, the next generation will not forgive us if we fail to take full advantage of the political momentum to reposition our State for greatness in the comity of States”, he said.

Governor Wike assured  everyone that the collective interest of Rivers State will continue to guide his administration.  He said his administration will continue to accommodate everybody irrespective of party affiliation in the schemes of governance.

He announced the provision  of free buses to convey Rivers people to their respective  locations  for the rescheduled elections beginning on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

He said: “In order to ease transport difficulties I have directed the immediate release of 18 luxurious buses to take people, irrespective of political affiliation, to vote in their communities from today 21stFebruary 2019 and return you back to Port Harcourt after the elections free of charge. The Commissioner for Transport will release details of the routes to be covered by the free bus services”. 

He urged the Federal Government to remain  neutral and protect the sanctity  of the ballot as stated by the sanctity of the ballot.

However it would recalled that the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army alerted that credible intelligence available to it has uncovered an unholy plan by some political actors within its Area of Responsibility (AOR) to arm and sponsor miscreants in addition to using military-like fatigue dress for deception to cause pandemonium at polling stations for their political gain.

In a press statement signed Colonel Aminu ILyasu, Deputy Director Army Public Relations, said that  covert efforts are on-going to track the source of the weapons and the agents involved in conjunction with sister security agencies, authorities of 6 Division NA but unequivocally stated that anyone found to be disrupting the electoral process under any guise will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws no matter how highly placed he or she is. 

“To this end, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division and Land Component Commander (LCC) OPDS Maj Gen Jamil Sarham wish to reassure the good people of Niger Delta of providing adequate security in conjunction with other security agencies before, during and after the 2019 General Elections”

He also thanks the good citizens of the Niger Delta for their cooperation and assistance so far rendered to the Division particularly in the area of information dissemination and urge them to do more.