Vote Me Out If…, Amaechi Tells Traders

Former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Hon Magnus Abe, with his wife, Bariyaa, displaying his voters card while addressing newsmen shortly after being registered in his ward in Gokana LGA at the weekend

In what appears to be an uncommon position among Nigerian politicians, the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has openly called on the Electorate to vote him out of office, if they are not impressed with his performance. Governor Amaechi made the declaration last Friday when he took his sensitization campaign on voters registration to market women and traders in the state capital, Port Harcourt. Addressing a cross section of the market women and traders from the Port Harcourt Township and Creek Road Markets at the No. 6 Field, Port Harcourt, Governor Amaechi urged them to embrace the on-going voters registration despite the challenges associated with the exercise. He noted that the only way they could choose credible leaders to take charge of their affairs was through the ballot, hence, the need for them to register to get their voters cards, which he said qualify them to exercise their franchise. “It is only by your votes that you can vote me out if you don’t like me and vote in the person that you like”, the Governor remarked. At the St. Andrew’s Primary School premises, Mile I, Diobu, where the market women and traders from Mile I, and Mile III markets, as well as motor spare parts gathered, the State Chief Executive equally appealed to them to register so as to benefit from the social services of the state government which are provided free of charge, such as free education, and free healthcare. He told the traders that it was not yet time to campaign, but when the time comes, every politician seeking for votes should be able to tell the people what they did with their past positions of trust. According to him, “everyone of us has served in one capacity or the other in Government, so, in our campaign, we should be able to tell you what we have done.” The Governor blamed the delay in the allocation of stores at the Mile I Market on the existence of factions among the traders, promising that if they were able to resolve their crisis, the stores would be allocated before March this year. Governor Amaechi assured the traders that the stores would be allocated to only those who previously had stores at the market, and not to politicians, adding that the building of Phase II of the market project would commence immediately after the allocation. Responding on behalf of the traders in their separate speeches, the President of Creek Road Market Women Association, Mrs Gloria Kalada-Nonju, and her counterpart at the Mile I Market, Diobu, Chief Young Georgewill, thanked the governor for finding time to visit them and promised to mobilise their members to register.