GOVERNOR NYESOM WIKE IN TROUBLE OVER HIS GOVERNORSHIP SUCCESSOR IN 2023

–WHAT HE TOLD KALABARI CHIEFS AND ELDERS

BY EMEKA AMAEFULA

The trouble with the utterances made by Rivers state governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Saturday 8th of December, 2019 at Port Harcourt that if it is possible he would build 10 Flyovers in Ikwerre land is reverberating across the length and breadth of rivers state even outside the state.  It is in response to his own statement that Governor re-echoed his position when kalabari chiefs and elders paid him courtesy visit on Wednesday, 11th of December, 2019 at government house port Harcourt. He told them that “ you must have a strategy to get the governorship. Quietly sit down other ethnic nationalities and work towards the seat. The Governorship seat cannot be got through the radio. It cannot be got through falsehood. There must be a strategy in place. Nobody gives you the governorship seat as a gift. Abuja is interested; other states are also interested in who becomes Rivers state governor. God will not allow it”.  In his response to the Governor’s remarks the Chairman of Greater Port Harcourt City development Authority, High Chief Ferdinand Alabraba said “we are here to celebrate your gallantry to uphold the good of Rivers”.

But in a separate press interview the son of Amanyanabo of Kalabari kingdom Prince Tonye Princewill a stalwart of All Progressives Congress and a onetime governorship candidate of Action Congress AC in Rivers state said “The governor was overheard at an occasion saying that if he had his way, he would build 10 Flyovers in Ikwerreland and nothing would happen. While some have laughed him off, many have condemned his utterances as unbecoming of a governor, not me. I want to put it on record that I agree with him. First of all, he is right; not a single thing will happen. Rivers men and women have been silenced like sheep and reduced to children who have no voice”.

He said the governor does not welcome constructive criticisms and that “The other point he is right is nobody else will do it for him. When the riverine area will take over from him and will not build 10 flyovers in Ikwerre land. The person will construct the Trans kalabari Road and move others forward before handing over to an Ogoni governor. Power must rotate. And so too must development. I am glad he knows it. I don’t want another disagreement. I will work for unity and a new style of conflict resolution. We are where we are today as a party and as a state because of the choices that we made yesterday. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. If anybody is to be called to order, it is we”.

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It should be recalled that his APC Rivers state chapter never presented any candidate in the Rivers state House of Assembly, Senate. Federal House of representatives and governorship election due to serious legal infringement instituted by aggrieved members in 2018 Wards, local Government areas and state Congresses leading to the 2019 general elections.