The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has explained that he congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari after the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal confirmed his election because it was better to offer public congratulations than visit the President at night.
Wike said that unlike some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who visit the President at night, he made his declaration public because it came from the heart.
He spoke at the funeral service in honour of mother of Chief Sergeant Chidi Awuse, late Madam Blessing Awuse, at the St Luke’s Anglican Church, Emohua, yesterday.
The governor said: “I am sure all of you are surprised that I congratulated Buhari. Is it not good for me to congratulate him, than to go to his house in the night?”
“So many PDP governors go to see him in his house in the night. I have never gone, and I will not go. I won’t go.”
“We are the only state that the Federal Government refused to pay our money used to execute federal projects because I don’t go to see him in the night, and I won’t go. He is not my friend, he is not doing well, but he won in court, should I say that the court did wrong, no?”
“President Buhari, congratulations and carry Nigerians along. Unify the country, the country is too divided. I am saying what is right. What I will do, I will do, what I will not do, I will not do”, he explained.
Wike exphasised that politics was a game of interest, noting that Rivers people in the All Progressives Congress (APC) were under obligation to attract federal benefits to the state.
“Politics is a game of interest. And my only interest is Rivers State. Anything that is against the interest of Rivers State, I will not agree.
“These people sold us out, thinking that they are doing Governor Wike. It is the state that you are offending, because I am just one person”, he added.
Wike expressed displeasure that Rivers State has key links to President Muhammadu Buhari from the state, yet the East-West Road, the seaports and other federal projects have been completely neglected since 2015.
He lamented that nothing indicates that Rivers State has prominent APC members working with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Rivers State governor maintained that Rivers State is a Christian state, adding that the fact of Rivers being a Christian state would not be changed by negative propaganda and falsehood targeted at his person.
The governor said he never demolished a mosque as was falsely circulated by some mischief makers.
He said Rivers State is a major oil producing state that deserves major projects from the Federal Government.
“We produce oil. They should not punish Rivers State because of me. I am just one individual. We have not benefited anything from the Federal Government. The only thing we have benefited is the abuse they heap on me.
“They turned the NDDC into a cash cow to sponsor elections against us. Nobody protested that anomaly. Now, they want us to protest because someone did not nominate the management of NDDC this time.
“Since 2015, NDDC has not had its governing board, but nobody protested. I will not be dragged into such protests”, he added.
On the passage of late Mrs Blessing Awuse, the governor said she lived a fulfilled life and raised disciplined and trustworthy children, stressing that her burial was a celebration of life.
In his remarks, the Chief Mourner, Chief Sergeant Awuse thanked the Rivers State governor for his love and friendship, pointing out that the Rivers State governor always intervened at the most critical time.
Also speaking, the Anglican Bishop of Ikwerre Diocese, Rt Rev Blessing Enyindah praised the Rivers State governor for his commitment to the development of the state.
He urged the Rivers State governor to continue with his good works, urging him to focus on the people in all his programmes.
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike had, last Wednesday, congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the validation of his election by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
In a statement, by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, last Wednesday, Wike urged President Buhari to use his victory to work for all Nigerians, irrespective of their political leanings.
The governor called on the president to work towards the unity of the country, noting that the country is divided
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has lambasted the committee set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to investigate the emergence of Hon Ndudi Elumelu as the minority leader of the House of Representatives, alleging that the committee was the most corrupt in the history of the party.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, Wike thanked former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara, for withdrawing from the committee by not allowing himself to be entangled in what he described as the “illegal outcome” of the committee’s activities.
The governor said: “The committee set up by the PDP on the illegal emergence of Ndudi Elumelu is the most corrupt committee ever set up by the party.
“We thank our worthy son, Rt Hon Austin Opara, for withdrawing from that committee, so that he is not entangled in the illegal activities of the tainted committee “.
Wike warned the party not to toy with Rivers State as it is not in the interest of the party to do so.
He said: “We are warning PDP to be careful not to toy with Rivers State.
“Rivers State has all it takes to withstand the PDP and fight the party to a standstill.
“The Rivers State governor is not one of those governors that anyone can cajole.
“The Rivers State governor is not one of those governors that will kowtow to their illicit activities”.
The panel is chaired by a former Senate President, Iyorcha Ayu.
Other members of the panel are former Senate Presidents, David Mark and Adolphus Wabara.
In a related development, the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has struck out key paragraphs of the petition filed by the Governorship Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Engineer Biokpomabo Awara against the election of Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Ruling on a Motion dated 4th September, 2019, to strike out Grounds B and C of the petition by Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), last Wednesday, the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal presided over by Justice Kingsley Orjiako, ruled that the application succeeds together with application of the 2nd petitioner on similar fact.
The Grounds B and C of the petition together with the accompanying paragraphs were struck out by the tribunal.
Paragraphs 29, 33(a), 73, 81, 83 a, b and c, and 84 of the petition were also struck out by the tribunal.
Grounds B and C covers paragraphs 37 to 71 of the petition filed by the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
At the resumed sitting on petition titled, EPT/RS/GOV/03/2019 by Awara Biokpomabo Festus against INEC, Wike and the PDP, two witnesses of the AAC gubernatorial candidate were disqualified following some errors noted in their witness statements.
Counsel for African Action Congress, Barrister Henry Bello, had drawn the attention of the court to the differences in the name as written in the witness statement and the witness present in court.
Counsels for the other parties in the petition noticed the error, and urged the court to refuse the witness from testifying.
Ruling, the tribunal chairman, Justice Kingsley Ojiakor, stopped the appearance of the witnesses.
The tribunal therefore, discharged Gideon Demua from Tai LGA and Abiase Halliday from Degema LGA as witnesses for Awara because they were not properly represented as witnesses in the petition before the court.
Speaking with journalists outside courtroom, counsel to AAC, Henry Bello said Awara has three more days to present his witnesses.
The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal continued hearing of the petition filed by Awara of the AAC, yesterday.