Governor Nyesom Wike has accused his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, of trying to instigate war between the Igbo people living in Rivers and the indigenous population in his bid to sell the governorship candidate of his party, Tonye Cole, ahead of the March 18 election.
Wike spoke during inauguration of Akpabu-Egbeda-Omoku Link Road in Egbeda community of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State on Friday.
He was reacting to a recent meeting Amaechi had with Igbo people in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
The former minister of transportation had during the meeting urged Igbo people to vote for Cole, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC.
He promised that Cole will address the issue of property abandoned by Igbo people in Rivers during the civil war, but which they have been unable to reclaim till date if he is elected in the 18 March governorship election.
But Wike said Amaechi’s resurrection of the issues of abandoned property that happened during the Nigeria’s civil war over 50 years ago is one of the reasons the electorate need to be wary of the APC candidate.
The Governor said Cole and Amaechi are insensitive to the danger and the animosity they want to trigger with the resurrection of the issue of abandoned property.
He claimed the promise by Amaechi to Igbo people residing in the State that if they vote for Tonye Cole, he will ensure that they are compensated for their abandoned property during the civil war was a lie.
“When you have a child (Chibuike Amaechi) who wants to destroy a home, to open up old wounds at this time in Nigeria, in Rivers State is a terrible thing. He is trying to put us and the Igbos at loggerheads for us to fight, God will not allow us to fight.”
Wike said Igbo and Rivers people will continue to live together as people who have largely intermarried among themselves.
“We have been living peacefully with our brothers and sisters; Ndi Igbo, living peacefully, doing business peacefully. I felt that I should let you know that a vote for Tonye Cole is a vote for division of Rivers State.
“A vote for Tonye Cole is a vote in order not for him to return our 50 million US dollar, and God will not allow us to vote for such people. We are prosecuting them. They want to run away from prosecution, they can not.”
He added that Amaechi wants to foist Tonye Cole, a man who cannot speak the indigenous language he claims, as governor of the State.
He further claimed that when Amaechi contested for Presidential ticket of his party, he claimed a different tribe and when he failed, instead of supporting Peter Obi or another southern candidate, he voted for a northern candidate.
Instead of Cole, Wike urged the people of the state to vote for Siminialayi Fubara, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who, according to him, is more disposed to sustaining the prevailing harmony in the State.
Commenting on the project, Wike said because of the seriousness his administration attached to the road, it has been delivered on schedule in order to avail the people dividend of democracy.
He told the people of Egbeda community that the contract for the construction of internal roads in the area has been awarded and the contractor, Monier Construction Company (MCC) has been directed to mobilise to site on the 13th March 2023.
He said the Commissioner of Works has been told to prepare the Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) so that the contractor can withdraw N500 million from the Internally Generated Revenue monthly so that fund does not frustrate the job.
In his description of the Akpabu -Egbeda Road, Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Dr. George-Kelly Dakorinima Alabo said the project was flagged-off on the 4th January 2023 and after two months and six days, it has been completed.
He explained that the project is a virgin road like the East-West-Rumudogo 1, and Rumuodogo 2. Dr. Alabo said the road forms part of the Akpabu-Umudioga 9 kilometers long road, which has now opened up Akpabu and Egbeda communities that have thousands of hectare of land used for farming to markets where farm produce can be taken.
The Chairman Monier Construction Company, Senator John Azuta Mbata, thanked the Rivers State government for encouraging indigenous contractors. CONTINUE READING…………………………………….
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