The 2023 general elections in Nigeria is coming up in less than 4-months with February 25th 2023 being the Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 2023 being the slated month for Governorship and state House of Assembly elections. For Professor Lawrence Chuku a frontline All Progressives Congress-APC Rivers state stalwart and a candidate for Rivers state House of Assembly in the march 2023 elections.
On 15th of October, 2022 he was a guest to Press Conference and introduction of APC candidates organized by Rivers state Non-Indigenous group For Asiwaju-RISNIGA with Dr. Adeleke Prince Jones as the Director General and APC Professional Council all converged at saint Paul’s Anglican Church premises Garrison Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital. Here Professor Lawrence Chuku spoke extempore as captured by, Emeka Amaefula who was present at the Press Conference proper.
EXCERPTS
“I will start first of all by pointing out the areas where we have fears before this great body came and allay these fears. My brother Chief Alex Weher had spoken partially on it and even went further where our friend Dr. Adeleke was reading his address, he also mentioned it in a way or as it is. In my character I like stating it the way it is, because before we can find a solution, we must know the problem. I am very happy that what I want to state here we have already found the solution. We have to state where it all began before this young man and this group came and nip our fears on the bud. Before Rivers state indigenous Group For Asiwaju, RISNIGA and APC Professional Council did what they did for us to be here today We as APC members in Rivers State we are not happy, because after the Presidential primaries Dr. Prince Adeleke let me remind you that our leader Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi flew down to Port Harcourt met with the leaders of APC at Rivers state Party secretariat and directed us to work for all the candidates of APC more especially our National leader who is the Presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And before our leader came to Rivers state APC Rivers state and the candidates never at any point in time had any doubt that we will vote for any other candidate never. Rather, what we saw from two angles were one, somebody running to Burdillon (Asiwaju Lagos resident) to claim that he(Senator Abe) and his group were original supporters of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers state. And they were going everywhere saying this. Even when they know that they were lying. These people decamped from APC officially since 2018. They have left this party since 2018. But they remained in the party to ensure that APC Rivers state does not exist. Not too long they left and went to SDP and even when they and went to SDP they were still fooling themselves and hoped that Asiwaju will be giving them fifty million-naira N50m, every month. That Asiwaju was funding them trying to create acrimony in the APC body as it is. They were doing that.
But while they were doing that some national leaders from our great party more especially Rt. Honourable Speaker of Federal House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamilla came to Rivers state to Commission project. When he came here, we were watching if probably before or after he finished commissioning if he will ask just one question “where are my members of Rivers state APC?” This he did not do. He just came and left and this is the home of Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the man that came second in the APC Presidential Primary election. And this is the home of a man who has sacrificed for the party and the person of Honourable Speaker coming to Rivers state without asking of him and not putting a call “My friend , brother I am coming to your state because we are from one party.” He didn’t do it. Even when he came after doing the things he was here for, he didn’t put a call our party secretariat is here he didn’t put a call to our party Chairman.
While we’re crying for that three Governors from South west came down to Rumuepirikom, Country Home of Governor Wike in my Local Government area to hobnob a man who on daily basis abuse the President of this country and abusing APC. And among these three South West Governors that came one of them was Governor Kayode Fayemi who we thought was a very good friend to our leader. In 2014, Our plane was grounded in Ekiti where Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi went through hell-fire for him to win election (as Governor of Ekiti state). And the same man will come to Rivers state without putting a call to his friend. We saw it as a betrayal. Let the truth be told. We as a party anybody who wanted us to retreat as if we were dead in Rivers state, I will make it clear that we are not happy. That it should stop.
Let me tell you anybody who have been bitten by the snake, if you have been bitten once by the snake if you see a rope you will run. Were you people not aware that I am used to addressing the Press, and I addressed PUNCH. And I fear nobody. But I have respect for people. In 2019 when we were been fought here it was a major advice from one of our great party who came here to debrief our members that made that judgement to be a consent Judgement that made us not to be in the ballot. And a member of our party happened to be a National leader. They came to Rivers state to meet somebody who has a bloated ego. We said ah! That thing that happened before has come again O O O! So, this time around we will shout O O O!. And we shouted and we have no regret for shouting.
But let me say one thing. This body here led by this young man (Dr. Adeleke Prince Jones) is the one that allayed the fears for us. It is this body led Dr Prince Adeleke that went to Abuja , that went to Lagos to report our cries. It was through this body that our cries got to South West more especially to our National Headquarters. It was through this body (Rivers state Non-Indigenous Group For Asiwaju-RISNIGA)So, anybody that will say tomorrow that they won’t recognize this man and this body, they are not being fair to APC. I have been following up the body and we have been talking. And I know what you have done. And what you have done is for the interest of APC Nigeria. I know it by next week I will be going to Abuja to meet with National secretariat I will tell him what you people have done for Rivers state APC. So, please this is one step. We still have a lot of things to be done for us to be victorious.
From day one that electoral Act was signed they style of campaign and politics has changed. Here in Port Harcourt, please if anybody is making his normal bragging that he owns Rivers state and all the votes of Rivers state belong to his pocket. Please tell your brothers outside this Rivers state that Rivers votes is not in anybody’s pocket. So, that they should stop coming to Rivers state to increase his negotiating value. Because what a man like the governor of Rivers state is doing which I have personally called the attention of our national leader Governor of Rivers state is using you people to increase his negotiating value and ability. The more they come, he invites most of these people, he invites them so when they come, if you watch when the south west Governors came, they said while are you bringing in media, I thought we’re in a private meeting. He brought them in and set them up. That man is a core PDP man he is not leaving his party. He is not supporting any other party. Let me tell you he is not. All he wants to do is to take his pound of flesh on those who made him fail his so called Presidential Primary election. That’s all he wants. As soon he achieves that he will do waka to you. He has no business to support Asiwaju. Asiwaju doesn’t need his support as far as Rivers state is concerned. As far as Rivers state is concerned, we do not have Atiku Abubakar to contend with. We do not have PDP to contend with the person and the party Asiwaju has to contest with if you people like to hear the truth is Peter Obi. That is the person we are going into election with. I am telling you people the simple truth. It is not because Peter Obi can match Asiwaju in any thing in life, nothing. Is it the maturity? Asiwaju is a nationalist known across the country. Asiwaju performed well as governor of Lagos state. There’s no way you compare him to Peter Obi. But because of the dynamics of politics today, sentiments, biases, prejudices, religion and others put together. So, what we need to do is to device the means of selling Asiwaju. What we need to do is to device the means of selling our Governorship candidate Architect pastor Tonye Cole. Our 13 Federal House of Representatives candidates, and 3- senators and market them. That’s what we need to do.
Please let’s forget about these people who think that by parading the name of Asiwaju that it will give them electoral value. Asiwaju is not even seeing them. All the lies if you want, SDP no got Presidential candidate? Now let me tell you one danger in what these people are doing to us, now they printed the logo of their party which is a Horse and they put the thumb print on the horse and that is what they are showing local women and men that if they see horse that they should thumb print. And I ask, Is Asiwaju horse? No! So, we no be broom? Why didn’t they make broom and put Asiwaju’s face and say they should thumb print for Asiwaju for President? So, you see they though that they can use the man to get what they want unfortunately the man is wiser and APC is wiser for that. So, please for those of us who are in this state all of us belong to one church or the other no be so? We must take Asiwaju/Shettima campaign to the churches. Muslims have no problem that one is certain no be so? Na so. Mosque own is certain because I know the decision of I.O.C in this state. I.O.C have taken a decision and their decision is favourable both for Presidential candidate and Governorship candidate. Where we need to intensify our efforts is in the churches. I am telling you the truth. Tomorrow for those of you who are living around Woji Housing estate I am meeting with catholic Men association I am meeting with all of them just to market our candidates. You need to dispel some lies, some rumours, because their campaign is based on lies and rumours. And we need to discountenance them. we need to counter them. Because this time around every vote must count.
For those of you do not know Nyesom Wike should know that he is a very fearful person. All those graagara na fear…If he likes let him recruit two hundred to three Hundred thousand youths that his wanted candidate that EFCC is looking for, what’s that his name? That his third Bid will fail. They cannot fool Rivers state people. So, if he likes let him recruit, he thinks that Rivers people are fools? This is October, 4 tp 5months to election you want recruit them now for stomach infrastructure. I have told them, let them collect his money and vote Tonye Cole and Asiwaju and vote for all of us. That is it. So, they can’t fool us.
Let nobody have any fear at all, because for you to win election as the President of Nigeria you must win majority of votes. You must have one quarter of two-third that’s you must have 25% in two-third of Nigeria. That’s out of the 36 states including Abuja you must have 25 percent into 24 states. How many states do we have in North West? 6-states no be so? Asiwaju will win the whole 6 states, How states do we have in the North east? We have 6 states. Out of the 6 at least Asiwaju is very comfortable to win three. Three plus six na how many? It’s nine. North central has 6-states? In that North central I can assure you that Asiwaju has already taken four. Four plus nine na how many? No be thirteen? It’s 13. We dey look for 24 no be so? Na so… How many states do we have in South west? We have 6 states. Any party fit go there go take any one? Noooo! When you add six to thirteen na how many? Na 19. That’s why the 6-states of South-South and 5-states of South East…that is the reason why we must work extremely hard. I am from South-South all we need from South-South and South East is 25 percent of 6-states. I am being realistic. How many of these candidates can make 25 percent in 24-states how many of them? For Asiwaju to win that one is very clear. But for him to win in Rivers state. Tonye Cole if he doesn’t win in Rivers state erh! It won’t be good for us o o O. so, whatever thing that you are doing put Tonye Cole as number one here. Why we didn’t want any person to come here and deceive us we want them to allow us to focus on our party to deliver our Presidential candidate in this state. If Tonye Cole is Governor of Rivers state you will be better of it and we no get Federal it go worry us. So, we need Asiwaju to Win and Tonye Cole to win. That’s why we didn’t want anyone to come here to deceive us.”
