The Rivers State PDP Campaign Council has warned the embattled factional governership aspirant of the APC, Arch Tonye Cole and other APC aspirants dropped by the INEC to face their problems with courage by clearing the mess they brought upon their party instead of blaming Governor Nyesom Wike for their woes.
The dropped APC aspirants had in a press conference, yesterday, accused Wike of colluding with the INEC and meddling in the affairs of the APC.
But in a swift reaction, the Director of Information and Communications of the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council, Barrister Emma Okah said these aspirants are being haunted by their greed and inordinate ambition to reap where they did not sow in the APC.
He denied that Wike is colluding with INEC or meddling in the affairs of the APC.
“These candidates are being clever by half. They are running and they know what is chasing them. They know what they did in the APC to give rise to what befell the party”, Okah said, pointing out that they need to summon the courage to eat the sour food they cooked for themselves.
According to Okah, “Governor Nyesom Wike has no hand in the self inflicted problem the APC brought upon itself through recurring acts of impunity, lack of respect for the judiciary, and want of internal democracy in their party.
“Wike is not a member of APC. He never asked the APC to disobey court order or refuse to resolve internal problems.”
Going further, Okah said this latter day lamentation is understandable and pathetic but can somebody tell them that those who play God dance the music the gods play for them, and advised them to appease their party men and seek the face of God.
On the threat by these aspirants to disrupt the polls if they are not restored in the ballot, Okah said it would be a joke taken too far, describing them as unrepentant products of lawlessness, impunity and disorder.
According to Okah, no amount of press conference or insults on Governor Wike by these aspirants will stop him from reaping the fruit of support and solidarity which the people of Rivers State have placed at his disposal. The result will be a landslide victory in the forthcoming polls.
Earlier, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, had threatened that the forthcoming elections may not hold in Rivers State if the names of its candidates are not in the ballot papers.
The candidates of APC seeking various positions in the state made the threat at a media conference in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The position of the party candidates is not unconnected with recent judicial pronouncements and the follow up actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which said it would respect court judgement.
Addressing newsmen on behalf of other candidates, the House of Representatives candidate for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Ahoada Federal Constituency, Henry Odili, lamented that INEC treated the candidates of APC unfairly by removing the names of National Assembly candidates from the ballot, even when the law has been clear on removal of names of candidate.
In a smilar development, the Director of Information and Communications if Rivers State PDP Campaign Council Emma Okah has dismissed the press conference organised yesterday by the embattled Accord Party Governorship Candidate in the State Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs as white wash and mere jamboree.
Okah said, the comments made by Chief Lulu-Briggs were mere street talks and didn’t address the fundamental issues of development as Gov Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is doing in his campaigns.
In a press statement issued in Port Harcourt today, Okah said he was not surprised that Lulu-Briggs could not do better as there is nothing to say against Gov Wike.
”The huge challenge before him as a member of APC until a few weeks ago is to show what he and his party did for the people of Rivers State since 2015″ Okah said pointing out that it is no longer enough for him to point one finger at the PDP while 4 fingers are pointing at him.
“Spreading falsehood in a press conference is only a cheap way to admit that you either abhor the truth or you are ignorant of them. It is uncharitable to ask “what purpose has poliical leadership served Rivers State since 1999? “Okah added, noting that the state has moved forward since 1999.
On the issue of security in the state, Okah said Lulu-Briggs is still under the cronic influence of the APC whose stock in trade is to demarket their state at will. As a stakeholder, we challenge him to cite any contribution he has made to advance the security of his community, LGA or state not even when the Federal Govt of Nigeria turned her back against the state in times of security need.
“Rivers would not forget in a hurry how he led APC members to protest on the streets of Port Harcourt against the call by the government and people of Rvers State to transfer the politically poluted Commander of SARS in Rivers State.
On infrastructure, Okah said Wike is a project supremo and challenged Lulu-Briggs to name one governor in Nigeria who has done more peojects and received more unsolicited awards of excellence like Governor Wike.

Dennis Naku