Rerun Polls: Protect Your Votes -Wike

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike (2nd right),officially cutting the tape to commission the first phase of Nkpogu Road/bridge, yesterday. With him are, his Deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo (2nd left),Deputy National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Uche Secondus (right) and Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Austine Tam-George. Inset is the reconstructed Nkpogu bridge.

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has urged the people of the state to remain resolute in the protection of their votes during the forthcoming rerun legislative elections.
Commissioning the phase one of the reconstructed Nkpogu Bridge/Road and ground breaking for Phase 2, Wike said that the people of Rivers State insist on free and fair elections.
He charged the people of the state to vote for PDP candidates during the rerun legislative elections for the sustenance of development in the state.
The governor said: “There is no need to allow the APC to come back to the state.  If you allow them to come back, they will scuttle development projects for our people.
“We are children of light. We are in the promisedland and we cannot return to the days of darkness represented by the APC “.
He added: “We must protect our votes to reclaim our mandate.  This is our opportunity to tell Nigerians once again that this is a PDP state”.
Commenting on the bridge, Wike said it was started from the very beginning to its completion.
He said the immediate past government awarded the contract in 2012 but refused to fund the project.
He said the bridge and road project will improve traffic between NLNG and Trans-Amadi areas of the town.
The governor called on the people to cooperate with the contractor to execute the phase two within the approved timeline and specifications.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has reiterated that he has been harping on free and fair polls  for the re-run elections next week, as a way of supporting President Muhammadu Buhari’s stance for a transparent elections.
Speaking while commissioning the first phase of the reconstructed Nkpogu bridge and laying foundation for the second phase, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, the governor said the opposition is seeking to mislead the people by describing his statement as inciting.
“President Buhari has said he supports free and fair elections, and we as a state support the president by standing for free and fair elections, but the opposition says I have been inciting the people,” Wike said.
He, therefore, urged the people of the state to remain resolute in the protection of their votes during  the  forthcoming rerun legislative elections.
While commending the contractor, Monier Construction Company (MCC) for quality work on  the  bridge, Wike pledged that funding the second phase of the project will not be a problem.
Earlier, Commissioner for Works, Engr. Kelvin Wachuku, stated that the bridge connects Nkpogu community to other parts of the city and was initiated in 2012 but was abandoned.
The commissioner disclosed that following the review which put the final cost at N5.4billion, the dualized road stretches to about 3.14 kilometre, and is capable of reducing traffic along the Trans-Amadi axis and adjoining communities.
Caretaker Committee Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government, Sir Sunny Ejekwu, thanked the government for coming to the rescue of the Nkpogu community following the failure of the past administration to link them to their neighbours.
Ejekwu described the bridge as part of the layout of the Old Port Harcourt City now being restored by Wike, urging him not to relent in restoring the garden city to its planned status.
The Chairman of MCC, Senator John Mbata, thanked the government for giving the company the opportunity to contribute to the state development, and assured that it will always provide quality job.
The programme  was attended  by  the Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, former Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia,  former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Austin Opara, and Senator Lee  Maeba.
In another development, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said he performed his constitutional duty by confirming the recommendation of Justice Iyaye Laminkara as the substantive judge of the Rivers State High Court  by the National Judicial Council(NJC).
Speaking in Government House, Port Harcourt, while swearing-in Justice Lamikanra as the substantive chief judge of the state High Court, Wike said the action was aimed to prevent politicizing the judiciary as witnessed in the immediate past administration.
Wike insisted that it will be unfair not to confirm Justice Lamikanra saying,” for me, I have decided to show loyalty to the legal profession and so I decided to do the right thing.”
He said, nothing will make him to compromise the rules as demanded by the judiciary and the constitution, pointing out that no amount of pressure will make him to bend the rules based on ethnic consideration.
He, therefore, charged the chief judge to dispense justice without fear or favour, adding that “As a judge, you must be bold and courageous to do the right thing. When you do the right thing heaven will not fall but heaven will be at peace”.
Calling on judges and lawyers to jettison ethnic sentiments, Wike warned that as legal practitioners, they must avoid being influenced by political considerations, in order to preserve the sanctity of the law.
On her part, Justice Lamikanra pledged to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the state judiciary is taken to enviable height.
She thanked the people of Rivers State and Governor Wike for the confidence reposed in her to serve.
“Since I began my service in 1986, the state has been fair to me, and I will ensure that the confidence reposed in me will not be disappointed”, she maintained.