…Rail At APC For Betraying Ijaw Cause
Governor Wike’s superlative performance in office has continued to attract a horde of supporters for his second term.
One of the biggest ethnic nationalities in the State, the Rivers Ijaw people have joined the league of groups routing for the governor’s second coming.
Coming together under the aegis of Rivers Ijaw Peoples’ Forum, the ethnic nationality’s ‘Who is Who’, on Monday October 22, gathered at the Earnest Okoli Press Centre where they held a press conference endorsing Governor Wike and supporting his second term bid.
Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, leader of the Rivers Ijaw People’s Forum who read the press statement which was endorsed by other eminent Ijaw sons and daughters, including Senator George Thompson Sekibo gave reasons why the nationality was supporting the governor for a second term.
According to him, Governor Wike had given Rivers people purposeful leadership and endeared himself to all in many ways, stressing that the man exemplified good governance anchored on inclusiveness and transparency which had effectively mobilized and united the people of Rivers State for progress and development.
The Rivers Chief Executive Officer, he equally said, had ensured the spread of various educational, health, road and other infrastructural projects in all the 23 local government areas of the State, made significant progress in restoring peace and security which had enhanced investment potentials of the State.
The leader of the Rivers Ijaw Peoples’ Forum said Governor Wike achieved all that successes at a time of national economic stringency, which according to him, reflected a true mark of judicious management of the State resources, stressing that these achievements had vindicated them for their historic endorsement of the governor in 2015.
On the current political situation in the State, the Rivers Ijaw people made some declarations which include, “That the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality is robust enough (well educated, intelligent, politically aware and humane) to know our interest and when to fight for that interest.
“That the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality does not need an outsider to determine our interest and when to fight for it, much more when such self-acclaimed political avatars are known and visible antagonists to Ijaw national and local interest.
“That the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality cannot forget so soon that, in 2015 the same Rivers APC leadership thoroughly betrayed the Ijaw when it mattered most and collaborated actively in the conspiracy to scuttle the second term ambition of an Ijaw son, President Goodluck Jonathan.
“That the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality will continue to acknowledge with deep appreciation, the strong bond of brotherhood amongst the people of the Niger Delta as manifested in the noble role played by Chief Nyesom Wike, the leader of the PDP in Rivers State, who, when it became necessary to be our brother’s keeper, rose to the occasion and stood by our Ijaw son, President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015”.
Deriving from all these, the Rivers Ijaw Ethnic Nationality said looking at the political realities of the time, they had decided that experience, good governance, peaceful co-existence, rather than clannish, selfish clandestine interests to take over their resources should be the basis of their decision who to be governor, stressing that in that context, the group supports Nyesom Wike based on his impeccable antecedents, which they summarized as follows: the governor supported President Jonathan’s second term, has executed projects in all the Ijaw local government areas, had repeatedly called for the development of infrastructure like the East-West Road, Port Harcourt International Airport and the functionality of Port Harcourt Onne Seaports.
The Ijaw people equally expressed gratitude to the governor for appointing their daughter, Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo as his running mate for a second term and congratulated him for hosting a successful PDP convention in the State, stressing that the governor had elevated Rivers State to an unprecedented position of National political relevance inspite of what they called the negative political forces that had amassed against him.
The forum called on Traditional Rulers, Chiefs, Leaders of thought, men, women and youths of Ijaw Clans in Rivers State, other Rivers people and residents to remain steadfast with the PDP by voting Governor Wike for a second term in office and Atiku Abubakar as President of Nigeria in 2019.
Among the coterie of eminent sons and daughters of Ijaw that were at the press briefing for governor Wike’s endorsement, included, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, Hon. Tamunosis Gogo Jaja, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, Toru Ofili, Mrs. Tonye Briggs Oniyide, Rt Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani –Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Senator George Thompson Sekibo, Hon. Evans Bipi, Mrs. Betty Apati and others.
