‘Why S’South Govs Endorsed Jonathan’ …Sambo Arrives

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, says the decision of the South-South governors to support the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan come 2011 was not based on regional representation but on the ability of Jonathan to pilot the affairs of the country.

Governor Amaechi made this known when the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organisation led by its Director-General, Ambassadar Dalhatu Tafida paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.

The state chief executive who had assured the Goodluck/Sambo campaign organisation that all the delegates from the state would vote massively for Dr Goodluck Jonathan during the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PP) billed for next year, however, expressed concern that the confusion in PDP is that nobody knows who are the delegates to the primaries, following the law just passed by the House of Representatives, which gave members automatic tickets to return.

According to him, the law does not only undermine the interest of other Nigerians but was capable of making PDP lose National Assembly seats to other parties.

The governor, therefore, appealed to the leadership of the party to always take decisions that would bring everybody together in the task of providing credible leadership in 2011, and to make the party remain the majority party in Nigeria.

Governor Amaechi, who remarked that there would be no imposition of candidates in Rivers State, stressed the need for the PDP to present credible candidates because votes would count in 2011 general elections.

Earlier, the Director-General, Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Ambassador Dalhatu Tafida had told the governor that their visit to Rivers State was in continuation of their tour of all the states in the federation to canvass support for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Ambassador Tafida, who noted that their visit to Rivers State, was to fulfill all righteousness because they were sure of the support of the state, emphasised that Nigeria was fortunate to have Jonathan as President because his emergence had many lessons which Nigerians could learn from as nobody questions a divine arrangement.

But prior to the visit of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation to Government House, Tafida had unveiled the new campaign office in Port Harcourt where he said nothing would stop the realisation of the Goodluck Nigeria Project as it was ordained by God.

In his words, “Goodluck Jonathan presidency is a seed watered by God and any human being that wants to stop its germination would attract the wrath of God.”

He continued, “He did not plant himself there, God planted him there,” adding that the president was not only a candidate of the Niger Delta but of the whole country.

Senator Tafida who dispelled rumours making the rounds that Goodluck/Sambo presidential campaign platform did not exist in the state, submitted that what he had seen on ground made such claims baseless.

The Goodluck/Sambo presidential campaign leader declared, “I believe the Governor that he is part and parcel of the project and I commend the Rivers people for their enormous support.”

He commended the state government for providing the new campaign office, noting that the property would form the basis of which other activities would be rooted upon.

Earlier in his remarks, Representative of the South-South Zonal Coordinator, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche stated that from all indications that the state was totally in support of the Goodluck/Sambo ticket.

He maintained that President Jonathan has all it takes to lead the country out of the woods, noting that, “it would also be the healing of wounds for the people who have suffered in the past.”

Hon. Nwuche urged the North to display high sense of maturity and solidarity to the South-South which according to him has always been in support of them in the past, pointing out that politics is a game of give and take.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Arc Namadi Sambo is expected to arrive Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital today to begain a two-day official visit to the state.

While in the state, Vice President Sambo would inspect some on-going projects embarked upon by the state government in parts of the state.

The Vice President would on Saturday attend the civic reception in honour of the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the reception is organised by the Ogbakor Ikwerre Social Cultural Organisation Worldwide.

Kevin Nengia

From right: Rivers State Director, National Orientation Agency, Mr Andy Nweye, Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry and State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, conferring with Head of Department, Media Affairs, Independent National Electoral Commission, Rivers State, Mrs Anthonia Nwobi, during INEC’s stakeholders interactive forum, in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga