Rivers United For Wike And Development: It’s Wike Or Wike

An editor friend of mine called me yesterday and asked what is this “Operation Kick Out Wike” that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said he would execute between Monday and Thursday of election week? I simply told him that the financially induced activity would be of no consequence. It is an exercise in futility. A choreographed failed act of political “notice me” from a powerless war monger.
This is the last kick of a dying horse. Even a five year old knows that since 2014, Amaechi and his associates have worked day and night to kick out Wike. They have deployed all means, including shedding innocent Rivers blood, but they have failed every step of the way.
They used SARs horribly to intimidate, kill, maim and snatch results, but Rivers people stood their ground. They declared, it is Wike or Wike.
They instituted several propaganda methods, buying front pages of countless newspapers, but Rivers people declared overwhelmingly, it is Wike or Wike.
During the rerun legislative elections, about 25 seats of the Rivers State House of Assembly were up for grabs. Amaechi told the world that he would collect all the seats and impeach Governor Wike using the State House of Assembly.
The failed APC Federal Government released over 70, 000 security personnel to the Minister of Transportation. He operated like a Garrison Commander. The security forces released fighter jets, fighter helicopters, war vessels , dogs and horses for the forceful acquisition of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Before the rerun elections, the security agencies engaged on a daily show of force to intimidate the people. Rivers people watched, but they were not intimidated.
The rerun elections came. The soldiers, SARs, Air Force and other security forces attacked polling units, collation centres and arrested countles PDP leaders. As they did, more people sprang up to defend their votes and constituencies.
At the end of the day, Rivers State triumphed. The people insisted that they preferred Governor Wike and the PDP. The House of Assembly was secured by the people, in the interest of Rivers State.
Since 2015, Amaechi has made elections a profit revolving scheme. An avenue to enrich himself by tricking the Federal Government and the NDDC to release billions to him to kick out Wike. While Amaechi smiled to the bank, all the schemes met with failure. This latest scheme will fail like the others.
This latest scheme by Amaechi and his partners-in-crime is not targeted at any elections, but a scheme to instigate widespread violence to disrupt the elections.
The 58 Governorship Candidates who re-affirmed their endorsement of Governor Wike mentioned the plot by the APC and their associates to disrupt elections through violence.
They said: “We are not in support of the evil that INEC is conniving with APC to disrupt the Governorship/ State Assembly elections on March 9. The APC knowing they are not on the ballot , plan to perpetrate evil and ensure that elections don’t hold”.
If Amaechi and his treacherous associates want to test their popularity, they should meet the PDP at the polling units on Saturday March 9, 2019. Anything short of that is simply an attempt to disorganise the security framework of the state for the reasons stated above.
There are 3,215,273 registered voters in Rivers State, according to INEC. The onus is on Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, his associates in the embattled APC and any other party they have chosen to support to canvass for votes.
Governor Wike has campaigned in all the 23 Local Government Areas , selling himself and the PDP. He has met with different socio-cultural groups, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and religious bodies. He has discussed his programmes with the non-indigenes. In all these engagements, the people have spoken with one voice that it is Wike they prefer.
In all the 4442 polling units of Rivers State, unit leaders and members of the PDP have canvassed for votes. Governor Wike has unit liaison officers across the state who have been empowered through employment to work for the development of the state. There is an interface with a sections of the state. The pulse of Wike’s government is felt at the grassroots. This has never been the case.
Governor Wike started his journey to a second term from May 29, 2015. He resumed office prepared and launched the Operation Zero Potholes in Port Harcourt minutes after his administration was inaugurated. Since then, he has delivered projects across the 23 Local Government Areas, changing the developmental narrative of the state. He has weathered the storm, defending the interests of Rivers State every step of the way. He has stood with the people and remained their voice.
For Wike, it has always been Rivers first. He has never betrayed the state. Despite the economic trap set by Amaechi who prophesied that Wike will not do projects or pay salaries because of the precarious economic conditions he left the state, Wike has made Rivers State the envy of all states.
It is not by chance that the APC or their cornered affiliates have no developmental accusations against Governor Wike. The performing Governor has silenced his critics with outstanding projects delivery, promoting selfless governance. He has made good governance a way of life in Rivers State. Seamlessly, pro-people projects are rolled out for the people.
Like it is stated in the Bible, surely the anti-Rivers agents will gather. But they will always fail because God has ordained Governor Wike to lift Rivers State from the doldrums of under-development. According to Isaiah 54:15 : “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake”.
The sponsored protests will be of no value, other than to help the embattled Minister canvass for appointments. It is nothing more than a cry of a diminished politician, craving for attention.
Like Governor Wike advised, Rivers APC and their leaders should wait for 2023. The decision for 2019 has been made. The people are with Governor Wike and they will confirm by re-electing him on March 9.
A few politicians promoting an anti-Rivers agenda will not alter the will of the people. Those who have illicit resources deployed to create crisis will not succeed because the people have their eyes on the ball. They will re-elect Governor Wike. They will defend their votes and they will defeat any manipulator who tries to rig the process.
Rivers people are United for development. No intimidation will suffice. Rivers people are United for the re-election of Governor Wike. This is about the people. Power belongs to God and God uses the people to elect leaders at every given time. As they say, the voice of the people is the voice of God. And Rivers people have declared: it’s Wike or Wike.
Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media.

Simeon Nwakaudu