Despite the current political crisis in Rivers State, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called on people of the state to continue to stand firm by his administration against injustice and political interference from Abuja.

He urged the people, particularly Christians in the state to pray and resist attempts by the Federal Government to thwart the progress recorded in the state under his administration.

Governor Amaechi, who made the call when he attended Christmas Day service at St Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Port Harcourt recounted the ordeal the state was facing from political enemies.

He said insecurity in the state was growing as the police has failed to do its job in an unbiased manner, but said he would prevail since the Lord Jesus is with him.

“You may have seen the different political tribulations that we are going through. You may think it is the governor alone, no, it is you too. You will know that we have begun to witness new security challenges. The struggle we had to chase away these criminals that were here, the struggle all of us fought hard to ensure that we had peace, joy and love, and we were celebrating on the streets, but now gradually, we are beginning to celebrate with criminals again.

“All these you may want to attribute to political disagreements in Rivers State, but it is not true. It is simply because those who lead us in Abuja, because the police is an establishment of the Federal Government, they have refused to curb the excesses of the police. Instead of the police to chase away criminals, they are shooting at innocent citizens. Don’t stop at praying, we will continue to pray but as you pray, you must rise on your feet and confront the challenges of insecurity.

“As a government led by me, a government installed by Christ, if anybody tells you he installed me, tell him it is a lie. Tell him that I said I prayed for ten months and I fasted from 6am to 6pm, calling on Christ to come down and Christ came down mightily and installed me as governor. That is why you can see that in the face of human effrontery, I have been able to stand face to face with them and I say I have Christ in me”, Amaechi said.

He urged the people to resist oppression and intimidation, describing as satanic any police cruelty to the innocent people of the state.

“You must rise in that same spirit of having Christ in you and confront those who are confronting you. You must stand up for Christ because the Bible says ‘faith without work is dead’. We must not die. We must live and the way to live is to celebrate Christ and the way to celebrate Christ is to confront Satan and Satan is in different forms and shapes. If the police shoot at you, they are Satanic. If government denies you your right to live, that government is Satanic…”

Amaechi also urged the people to exercise their legitimate power during election and vote according to their conscience.

“You must ensure that on the day that you want to vote, you must vote according to your conscience. You must look at those who have performed and vote them back to power. You must look at those who have not performed and chase them out of power”.

He urged Christians in the state to continue to pray for his administration, asking God to protect and empower his government to deliver more democracy dividends to all Rivers people.

He reassured those who lost their goods and investment in the recent Mile One fire incident that the government would assist them and build a modern market for them at the Mile One market.

He said there would be a police station, bank and other needed facilities in the new market.

Amaechi also reassured that his administration would build more schools, health centres and roads in the state. Earlier, Rev. Father Ogechi Agbara said Christmas marked the great joy the birth of Jesus brought into the lives of people around the world.

He enjoined Christians to open their hearts for the Lord Jesus, radiate His joy and be humble like the Lord Jesus, as he preached on the sermon ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ with Bible reading from John 1:1-8.

Governor Amaechi at the church service read the first Bible lesson from the Book of Isaiah 52:7-10.