Thousands of women members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State last Monday, dumped their party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The women mostly drawn from the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state defected during a thank-you-visit of ONELGA women to the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for restoring peace to the local government area.
Spokesperson of the decampees, Gladys Ajie said their decision to defect was predicated on the good works done by the governor.
She said: “You are, indeed, a good man, and we have seen what you have done.
“We have been under bondage of APC and have come today to surrender.
“Since we do not have peace in APC, we have decided to come to PDP”.
Responding to the decampees, Governor Nyesom Wike and the state PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, welcomed the decampees to PDP, and assured them of equal opportunities in the party.
Obuah asked the decampees to drop the brooms they were clinching in their hands.
“You are covered by the great umbrella. I want to assure you, after today, join them to wear Rivers and ONELGA colour. I assure you of the dividends of democracy”, Obuah said.
Thousands of women from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) had stormed Government House, Port Harcourt, last Monday, to pay a thank-you-visit to Governor Nyesom Wike for restoring peace and security in the area.
The women also lauded the governor for his outstanding performance, and endorsed him for a second term in office.
Spokesperson of the group, Dr. Grace Akolokwu said the women, numbering about 30,000, were drawn from various groups in the six geographical zones to appreciate the governor for his timely intervention in arresting the security challenges that plagued the local government area for over eight years, and subsequent restoration of peace.
Akolokwu said: “The criminal breaches saw our homeland battered, lives and property destroyed; economic activities disrupted”.
She also noted that subsistence agriculture and small scale commercial and other businesses which were hallmarks of the rural women were completely dislocated, thereby, turning most of the rural women and children into internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The ONELGA women spokesperson said with the intervention of the governor, the ugly story changed as peace has returned to the area with schools re-opened and socio-economic life, back to normalcy.
“As women of ONELGA, we hereby convey our sincere thanks for successfully initiating the peace process and for rebuilding our LGA as major economic centre of the state through the award of several physical infrastructure projects and empowerment programmes”, Akolokwu stated.
She listed Omoku–Egbema dual carriage road, Akabuka-Okposi road expansion and upgrade, Omoku Modern Zonal Hospital, Omoku internal roads, the shore protection and erosion control projects, amongst others, as key projects embarked upon by the governor in the area.
The group, however, appealed for a special grant to execute and complete drinking water processing scheme, emergence of a woman as the next chairman of the Local Government Council, stressing that like all internally displaced persons, ONELGA women request special package from the governor to effectively recover.
The women urged Wike to heed the call to contest for a second term to enable him continue the good works he was doing for the people.
The Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike while responding, announced the setting up of a fund to assist the less privileged recover from the negative effect of the prolonged insecurity in the area, and advised them to use the funds wisely to better their lives.
“We are committed to the empowerment of women. We shall, therefore, set up a fund that will give grants to women of ONELGA because of the insecurity challenges they faced. Please, invest the funds wisely”, he pleaded.
The governor directed the Commissioner for Water Resources to work with stakeholders in the area to set up a water processing plant, and assured ONELGA people that his administration will continue to work towards the improvement of security for economic stability in ONELGA.
The governor said; “I will not sit down in Government House and allow criminals torment the people. Wherever these criminals are, we will track them down”.
In appreciation of the governor’s efforts, the women presented a special plaque to him.
Chris Oluoh
