The recent raiding of Rumueme and Eliparanwo
communities of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state, the stronghold
of Nyesom Wike, has further deflated the seeming powers of the former Junior
Minister for Education. The JTF had on Thursday afternoon in a commando style
invaded the country home of Wike as well as a hotel in the area said to belong
to his cousin. The security apparently on a tip-off flushed out some PDP youths
camped in Iwaikwokwo hotel and in the process, two armed youths who tried to
exchange fire with the security forces were gunned down while several arms were
recovered. Reports also say when the PDP strongman who has before now enjoyed
unfetterd access to the security agencies came to affect the release of those
arrested, the JTF was said to have shunned him.
In a related development, a high profile hotel in
Omoku area of the state known as CHRISDERA belonging to the state chairman of
the PDP was also raided with several persons arrested with arms and military
uniforms. The raid carried out on his hotel and country home may not be
unconnected with his alleged involvement in the recent killing of an APC
Chieftain in the area, Chief Adube and his two sons as well as six other
members of his family. The widow of the slain Chief and one of the sons who
survived the attack have accused the PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah known as Goround
over the killing of members of their family as well as the burning of the
country home of Hon. Vincent Ogbuagu, the former leader of the Onelga
Legislative Assembly under the Chairmanship of Obuah.
The clampdown on Wike and his men as well as the
recent wave of defection which has engulfed the political class as more and
more political heavyweights throw their support for General Mohammadu Buhari,
the incoming President, is said to have hit Rivers PDP as the governorship
candidate of the party, Chief Nyesom Wike has concluded plans to ensure he gets
a soft landing after May 29.
Information reaching our news desk has it on good
authority that the politician who has been at loggerheads with his former boss,
Gov. Rotimi Amaechi has sent emissary from the North to beg the governor to
forgive him of all his misdeeds.
Our source who is close to the former governor of
Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff revealed that Wike is allegedly putting pressure
on the controversial politician to use his contacts to reach out to a former
Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Dambazzau, a close ally of Gen. Buhari to persuade
him to wade into the crisis between him and Amaechi to avoid arrest and
prosecution by the incoming government of the APC which has declared zero
tolerance for corruption.
Many do not know Wike’s relationship with Modu Sheriff
but information has it that Sheriff owns the private jet which Wike hires at
the cost of 17,000 dollars, which is almost N4million naira for each trip from
Abuja to Port Harcourt. It would. Be recalled that Sheriff is still being
investigated over his alleged role with Boko Haram and its sponsorship.
Our checks also revealed that apart from allegations
of corruption against the former Junior Minister. Of Education, he may also be
investigated for his role and complicity in the various cases of violence,
intimidation and killings that characterized the period of campaigns and
elections in Rivers state. Several persons were unlawfully arrested and
detained by the Police in Rivers state.
It is believed that the latest efforts by Wike to seek
a soft landing may not be unconnected with the threats he issued against
Amaechi saying that as soon as Jonathan is sworn-in, all boarders would be
closed and a manhunt would be declared for the governor. He had severally
boasted to his supporters that Amaechi would be sent to jail if the president were
reelected.
But the reverse seems to be case now with the failure
of Jonathan to win the presidential elections. Again, his plan to beg Amaechi
is also stemmed from the position of Jonathan and the PDP not to challenge the
results of the presidential elections in Court. Jonathan discreetly got a soft
landing and international applause for his stance.
Meanwhile, the Rivers APC is said to have compiled the
alleged sins of Wike against the people of the state which includes allegations
of contract diversions tuned to over N30billion, the diversion of the. Terfund
Education Tax collected in 2013. For use in 2014, the payment of contractors for
unexecuted projects, construction of substandard roads, diversion of over
N3billion for the construction of model primary schools in Obio/Akpor as well
as several others.
Meanwhile, there are indications that many of his supporters
are not aware of his recent moves to seek reconciliation with Amaechi. There
are also indications that the state Chairman of PDP, Felix Obuah alias Go Round
may have underground to evade arrest by Police over his alleged involvement. In
the recent killings in Omoku and its environment, particularly with the
accusation leveled against him by the widow of the slain APC Chieftain, Chief
Adube, three of his children and five other members of his family.
Already, General Buhari has warned that all those
involved in aiding and abetting crime during the electioneering period would be
brought to book.
With defeat staring him in the face, Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the April 11 governorship polls in Rivers
State, Chief Nyesome Wike, has made overtures to the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), seeking to negotiate his future after the expected victory of
the APC candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu
Ikanya, revealed in Port Harcourt on Thursday that Chief Wike had reached out
to him through his running mate, Dr. (Mrs.) Ipalibo Banigo, making the
following requests:
That APC should not go to the Election Tribunal over
the National Assembly election of 28th March awarded to PDP candidates, that
Governor Chibuike Amaechi should prevail on the President-elect, General
Muhammadu Buhari, not to probe his activities as junior Minister of Education
and that Dr. Peterside, upon assumption of office as governor, should not probe
his office when he served as the Chief of Staff to Governor Amaechi, that he be
allowed to nominate three members of his Grassroot Democratic Initiative (GDI)
as Commissioners in the cabinet of Dr. Peterside.
To show the seriousness of Chief Nyesome Wike on this,
he has asked the people of Rivers State to vote out all PDP candidates in the
April 11 polls. The attached audiotape says it all.
Dr. Ikanya said in a statement that he was
non-committal after being contacted by Dr. Banigo but rather advised that Chief
Wike should bring up these issues after the election of April 11th as it is
already too late to go into negotiation with regard to the polls.
Ikanya in the statement maintained that all the stolen
National Assembly seats by PDP would be retrieved through the Election Tribunal
as APC cannot allow illegal occupants to represent Rivers State in the National
Assembly.
The Rivers APC Chairman advised the electorate to
troop out on Saturday and vote for Dakuku Peterside. He said that apart from
saving Rivers State from PDP-induced violence, occultism and worship of the
devil, an APC victory in the governorship election would mean aligning the
Rivers State Government and the entire State with the incoming APC-led Federal
Government and to attract the following benefits to the State:
1. Urgent re-modeling and completion of the Port
Harcourt International Airport Omagwa.
2. Reimbursement of over N100 Billion owed Rivers
State by the Federal Government.
3. Further investments into and commencement of Train
7 of the NLNG project Bonny to create more employment opportunities for Rivers
State indigenes.
4. Construction of the Bodo-Bomu-Bonny Road,
completion of the East-West Road and the rehabilitation of Rivers State section
of the Port Harcourt-Aba Road.
5. Return of the Soku oil wells and other oil wells to
Rivers State.
Dr. Ikanya commended and congratulated former Governor
of Rivers State, Chief Rufus Ada George, for advising people of the State to
vote APC in order to align the State with the incoming APC Federal Government
for the rapid development of the State.
“We pray and hope that the good people of Rivers State
will adhere to this wise counsel and ensure that we don't have a government in
Rivers State that will antagonist against the APC Government at the centre.
With PDP members joining APC in droves in order to salvage our nation, it is
unthinkable that any right-thinking Rivers person should be contemplating
wasting his vote on the doomed PDP and its candidates in the April 11
elections,” Ikanya stated.
For some strategic reasons, the rally slated to hold
on 10th April 2015 to accept the 10,000 PDP defectors will no longer hold. This
is to avoid running fowl of the electoral laws that says that campaigns or
rallies should not hold 24hours to the date of an election. The event will now
take place after the election of April 11th at a date that will be used to
celebrate the APC's victory as expected.
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