Rivers Gov’t Dismisses Allegation Of Clampdown On Opposition

The Rivers State government has described the allegation by Senator Lee Maeba that his life is under threat as false alarm, describing it as a tale concocted by a deranged mind.

The Chief of Staff to the Rivers State governor, Chief Emeka Woke refuted the allegation at the weekend at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area during the grand finale of the state-wide Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) collection sensitisation rally.

The Senator had on Saturday in an interview in a national newspaper alleged that a meeting was held at the Government House, Port Harcourt to clamp down on him and others.

Senator, once a close ally to Governor Wike and some other chieftains of the PDP in Rivers State fell out of favour with the governor because of their stance with the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Alh. AtikuAbubakar who himself is locked in a disagreement with Wike over some of the party’s choices and decisions on the 2023 Presidential election.

Speaking at the occasion, Wike stated categorically that there was no such plan to clamp down or eliminate any person in the state, as such character was not in the DNA of the present administration.

He urged those who are not popular and vast in grassroots politics, to leave it for those who know the game, rather than making frivolous claims.

”On my way here, I read from the newspaper, one man that is unable to come home, called Ledogo, saying he will not come home again to campaign for PDP presidential candidate. He said the reason that he will not come was because I held a meeting in Government House that any time he comes to Rivers State, he should be killed.

“My brothers, such a thing did not happen and it will not happen. Any person that cannot come to Rivers State should look for a better excuse and not killing excuse.”

He added: “This government, we don’t kill anybody. We have never and will never kill anybody. Please if you don’t have strength, tell your people that you don’t have strength.”

Wike also took a swipe at the former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, DrDakukuPeterside, who hails from Opobo for claiming that Governor NyesomWike’s administration has done nothing for the council.

He wondered why Dakuku, who served as a Commissioner for Works under the ChibuikeAmaechi’s administration and never made any effort to advance work on the Opobo axis of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Unity Road, from the point the administration of Dr Peter Odili stopped work, would turn around to lie against a governor who provided road for the people of Opobo.

“Before he became commissioner, the former governor of the State, Dr Peter Odili, had initiated this laudable project, the Unity Road to run from Ogoni, Andoni and Opobo and then he stopped in 2007.

“From October 2007, when your son (Dakuku) became Commissioner for Works until May 2011, four good years, he did not add one meter to the road.”

“The same man said Wike did not do anything for Opobo people. Yes, let us agree because the lawyers will say, assuming though not conceding that Wike did not do anything. From that time in 1999 when he (Dakuku) started politics until Wike became governor, Dakuku was not able to drive a car to Opobo. Even if Wike has not done anything, the road he gave to Opobo is something.”

Wike said it was unbelievable that Dakuku, who got a contract for Opobo shore protection and embezzled funds, could still have the audacity to accuse Wike’s administration that has linked the entire Opobo/Nkoroisland to the rest of the State by road, of doing nothing for the council.

“This is not campaign, but at campaign time, we will inform you that he (Dakuku) was given contract. The only thing that he was asked to do for his people, shore protection, he embezzled the money and that contract was not executed. So, when the time comes, we will tell Opobo who is their real son, because I don’t believe that an indigene of Opobo will hate Opobo so much”, he said.

He noted that all Dakuku said during a gathering of few APC members in Opobo last week, was his usual tantrum against governor Wike, in order to gain relevance in the political space.

Wike went on; “You know, in Rivers State, anybody in opposition that is aspiring to get any position, no matter how little that aspiration is, the only qualification for you to aspire is to come out and abuse Wike. When you come and abuse Wike and say Wike didn’t do this, Wike did not do that, then you can be considered for a little position. And so, that is just what Dakuku did.

“If you adopt one strategy to achieve something and it doesn’t work, the proper thing to do is to change strategy. Dakuku needs to change his strategy since they no longer work.”

In his remarks, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, SiminalayeFubara, lauded members of GDI for sensitising Rivers people in the 23 Local Government Areas, on the need to collect their PVC, which is their power to elect the rightful leadership during the 2023 general elections.

Fubara, who hails from Opobo, said he is confident that his kinsmen will overwhelmingly support his governorship ambition.

“A non-indigene is the one who will come here and struggle, abuse people. I’m an indigene, a free-born. You can trace my father’s house. So, do I need to struggle to get your support? So, I will end by saying you know what to do.

(Tribune)