Ex-Bayelsa Gov Shuns Jonathan, Supports Amaechi

L-R: Kwara State Chief Judge, Justice Olatunji Bamigbola, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and former President of Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, at the 2014 Biennial Law Week in Ilorin, yesterday.

Former Bayelsa State Governor and leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva has assured the Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi that the Bayelsa chapter of the party would work with him to flush out the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government at the 2015 elections.
Sylva stated this when he led party executives and supporters in Bayelsa State on a courtesy call on Governor Amaechi in Government House, Port Harcourt at the weekend.
Sylva said they came to show solidarity with the Rivers State governor, adding that most Bayelsans were frustrated with the Goodluck Jonathan administration and want change even though the president is from the state.
“We of the APC in Bayelsa State decided to come to you (Amaechi) to solidarise with you, to tell you that not everybody in Bayelsa is against progress, not everybody in Bayelsa is an enemy of progress, and that you also have a family in Bayelsa that identifies with you, and would stand with you all the way.
“When the time comes for us to sweep away the government of the day at the national level, Bayelsans will stand with you and be in the vanguard of sweeping away this government that has brought only misery to the Niger Delta.
“The APC is the platform for progress. You (Amaechi) are an epitome of progress not only in the Niger Delta but in Nigeria. Everybody that comes to Rivers State will bear witness to what you have done, to your commitment, and we will stand with you and will continue to support you”, Sylva said.
He noted that the APC is a better alternative to the PDP and would provide good leadership.
“The APC has provided a very credible platform for progressives to come together and sweep away the corruption and ineptitude of the government of the day”, he added.
He decried the fact that the Jonathan presidency brought shame and opened cracks in the unity of the people of the South-South geo-political zone.
”Today, we in the Niger Delta have the presidency of this country, but what has the presidency of this country brought to us? It has brought divisions, in fact, put a crack on the unity of the Niger Delta”.
Sylva recalled that Amaechi ran into trouble with the Federal Government when he asked the Jonathan administration to complete the all-important East-West Road in the Niger Delta.
“I know that one of the things that brought problems between yourself and the Federal Government was because you were able to point to the fact that the East-West Road, which is a major link in the South-South, has been neglected by this government, and of course, there were lots of shouts. Instead of the Federal Government coming to you to learn from you to take what is good from you, they have decided to fight you and everyone knows (about this), very unfortunately”, he said.
He applauded the Rivers governor for the laudable achievements in the state, confessing that so much had changed during the last few years that testify to Amaechi’s credibility and good leadership.
”I must say Mr. Governor that I was so impressed when I came into Rivers State. Many times I missed my way in Rivers State today, in Port Harcourt because a lot of things have changed during your time. A lot of things have changed for the better, Port Harcourt is wearing a different look even the air over Port Harcourt is different and sometimes I wish that this change and development we see in Rivers State is also replicated nationwide. We have our brother as president today, unfortunately we cannot say the same thing is happening nationally”, he said.
Responding, Governor Amaechi thanked Sylva and the APC team from Bayelsa for the visit and solidarity, and he used the opportunity to call on Nigerians to vote for only credible leaders.
“It’s important we realize that character is an essential element to good governance – you can’t see a man who has betrayed his friends and you say make him governor or make him deputy. What have you done, you have empowered him to betray more persons, including betraying the money you have left behind in the coffers. So, character should be an essential element in selecting our leaders”, he said.
“As you are here, you are potential statesmen and women because if you allow the national interest to override your private interest, then you are a statesman. That you are coming from the state of the president, the party at the national level should praise and give you more support because it takes courage and strength of character to say no. This is where I identify with you. That you did not follow the president because he comes from your state shows the kind of character that you have, and what I can do to you is to support you by prayers”, Amaechi noted.
“I pray quite a lot because I think that is the only way I can survive in this country where everybody is a potential prey. Rivers State and Bayelsa are one, and therefore, APC in Rivers State and Bayelsa are also one”, he added.
He also called for freedom of choice and expression in the country’s current democratic dispensation.
“We want to be allowed to make our choices. We want to be allowed to express our views. We want to be allowed to express our interests, and having expressed your interests and views, the best you can do is to remain convinced in what you stand for”, he said.
Amaechi congratulated those who despite Sylva’s travails remained true and loyal to him, recalling that as a leader, he had been severally betrayed and even abandoned by those he trusted most.
He urged the APC in Bayelsa to close ranks and work together for electoral victory in the elections ahead.