Politics
Akawor Wants LG Chairmen To Emulate Wike
The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Rivers State, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, has charged Local Council chairmen in the state to use the development model set by Governor Nyesom Wike in the state as template for the development of their various local government areas.
Speaking while commissioning the Remodelled Gokana Council Secretariat at Kpor, headquarters of the local government area recently, the PDP Chairman told them that securing second term ticket was a function of their performance in office.
The former Ambassador to South Korea who commended the Gokana council boss for remodelling the council secretariat to world class standard, recalled a bitter experience he had with the old structure during his trip to Gokana as Chairman of the Covid 19 Parliatives committee in the state.
“When l came to Kpor as chairman of the Parliatives Committee, I had the call of nature and was asked to be taken to the Chairman ‘s office. I had the terrible experience of my life managing myself from here back to Port Harcourt with the luggage inside my stomach. But for me to come here today to see the same structure looking like Zenith Bank, l can say that it is only God that can do this.
“Wherever I go, I always say one thing, that it is difficult for lion to produce a lizard. There is a wave of change in this state. God has given us a Governor that has decided to set a standard of which no chairman has any alternative but to key in. For all the chairmen, especially the crop of chairmen we have now, they actually know what it took them to emerge as chairman. They passed through the crucible and that is why virtually in every local government there is one performance or the other”.
While describing what was happening at the local government level as delivery of dividends of democracy to the people at the grassroots, the former Minister of FCT urged local government chairmen to always strive to bring development to their areas, saying that everything cannot be done by the state government.
“The local government as the third tier of government has its own portion of the dividends of democracy to deliver”.
Ambassador Akawor who said unlike the APC, the PDP government in the state had delivered on its electioneering campaign promises, describing the APC as a special purpose vehicles used to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan from office.
He noted that the Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono road which they promised in their campaigns to do and failed is currently being handled by Governor Nyesom Wike while the Bodo-Bonny road is being done by the Nigerian Liquifued Natural Gas, NLNG alone.
He also told the people how the APC-led Federal Government was playing politics with the Ogoni clean up and the Electoral amendment bill.
“We all saw what is happening now with the electoral bill. What is going on with a party that is in charge at the National Assembly. They took a decision and sent it to their President to sign, and after many months the date caught up with him and he refused to sign it and Nigerians are saying this is not what we wanted. There is no promise they have made that they have kept”.
He encouraged Nigerians, particularly the people of Gokana to stand with the party in whom they had absolute confidence that it would fulfill its promises to them, adding that in 2023 all Nigerians have a date with destiny.
The State PDP Chairman also praised Gokana sons serving in Governor Wike’s administration for their loyalty and support as well as the people of Gokana for believing in the PDP.
Chairman of Gokana Local Government Area, Confidence Dekoo, said he decided to embark on the project to give the council a befitting secretariat.
He thanked the state PDP Chairman , Ambassador Desmond Akawor, for coming to perform the commissioning ceremony and assured him that his tenure would witness a boom in project execution in the local government area.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
-
Sports5 days ago
CAFCL : Rivers United Arrives DR Congo
-
Sports5 days ago
FIFA rankings: S’Eagles drop Position, remain sixth in Africa
-
Sports5 days ago
NPFL club name Iorfa new GM
-
Sports5 days ago
NNL abolishes playoffs for NPFL promotion
-
Sports5 days ago
NSF: Early preparations begin for 2026 National Sports Festival
-
Sports5 days ago
Kwara Hopeful To Host Confed Cup in Ilorin
-
Sports5 days ago
RSG Award Renovation Work At Yakubu Gowon Stadium
-
Politics5 days agoRivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension