…Charges All On Peace
The Rivers State Governor, Barr. Ezewon Nyesom Wike, has received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, restating his commitment to peace in the state, even as he commended INEC, security agencies and other critical stakeholders, apart from paying tributes to the dead in the March 9,2019 governorship elections.
At the state headquarters of INEC at Aba Road, Port Harcourt, Governor Wike who dedicated his election victory to God and Rivers people, reacted to the insinuations in some quarters that politicians are prone to violence, saying ”politicians are not trouble makers, Rivers State is a peaceful State.” According to him, his victory will remain in honour of those who worked in defense of democracy, those who paid the supreme sacrifice to ensure the sanctity of the process.
Governor Wike gave kudos to INEC for ”standing firm to say the truth.”But he reminded the gathering that he would always criticize the electoral umpire given the chance. “I am one of the critics of INEC. When they do well I will commend them, when they don’t do well , I will criticize them…”
He commended both the INEC National Commissioner and the state Resident Electoral Commissioner,(REC), for a job well done, assuring his critics that he had never had personal report with the two senior officials of INEC, except when the REC paid him a courtesy call at the Government House. ”The second time I am seeing him (REC) is today, ”said the governor.
The governor condemned political violence in its entirety and lamented the scale of violence that led to loss of lives during the gubernatorial election, promising that his administration will provide necessary assistance to the bereaved families. According to him, INEC and other participants braved the odds to ensure the credibility of the March 9 governorship election in the state. He informed that, if agreed by INEC, the his administration will take necessary steps to ameliorate the conditions of the families of its staff who lost their lives, including the army and the police. But the governor admitted that nobody could pay for any life, stating that government will give necessary supports where necessary.
But while commending INEC staff in the state, the governor seized the occasion to appeal to INEC leadership, to give the state head office a good facelift. The governor who justified the argument reasoned that, Rivers state by its status contributed more to the resources of the country as an oil producing state and therefore should be accorded a befitting office.
Governor Wike also spoke to power, argued that truth must be told at all times. According to him, this remains the only way Nigeria can move forward. He said that as a person, violence is a word he hates to hear about and added that during oil exploration in the Niger Delta nobody would talk of violence, but during election people talk more about violence.
And, despite some challenges associated with security during election, Governor Wike thanked the police and charged security agencies to always stick to the truth, especially when one of their own is indicted. The governor made reference to how a senior F-SARS officer shot a PhD holder in course of the past election ”for no offense.” He took the security agencies to task noting that their duty among others was to protect INEC officers.
On militarization of the 2019 elections in the state and parts of Niger Delta states, the governor, condemned the way and manner the Nigerian Army took over the internal security, which he claimed was within the purview of the police in an election.
On his responsibility to the state having won the second term in office , the governor said:” I owe this state a lot. If I die today, I will not be buried in Lagos, I will not be buried in Abuja.”
And to his political rivals, the governor said, ‘forgive me if I have stepped on your toes.” He promised to work for Rivers State and for peace in the state. He continued by saying,” I will not be governor forever, I will only be governor for four years, adding that his administration will continue to provide services for the state, even as he called on the opposition to join hands to move the state forward.
According to governor Wike, his second term in office will not be to seek comfort, saying, “Rivers State is not where we are supposed to be. He thanked INEC and its officers for the issuance of his Certificate of Return for his second term in office.
