Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State may have high hope of victory in the oil-rich ststae following the big boost his campaign recorded as the electoral umpire makes plans to conclude the governorship election in the state.
The
African Action Congress (AAC) may as well be in great surprise after
the party lost one of its key members to the ruling party in the state. The
AAC may be in this condition now because its deputy gubernatorial
candidate in Rivers State, Akpo Bomba Yeeh, resigned and aligned with
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This
was as Governor Nyesom Wike and PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus
called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bring
the state’s election to a logical conclusion, so that the people could
continue with their lives, The Guardian reports.
Meanwhile, Yeeh’s decision to join the PDP came just eight days to the commencement of the collation of the suspended elections.
He
accused the Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi of being too
desperate and attempting to use the army to rig the elections. He said this was an affront to the democratic rights of Rivers’ people to freely elect their leaders. He said he didn’t want to be part of the alleged plot by APC and AAC to subvert the will of the people who voted overwhelmingly for Wike and the PDP.Yeeh explained that barely
72 hours to the March 9, 2019 elections, the Amaechi faction of the APC
had announced an alliance with the AAC for the governorship election,
having been barred by the courts from fielding any candidates for elections in the state.
The
Ex-AAC Deputy Governorship candidate alleged that the minister assured
the AAC gubernatorial candidate, Biokpomabo Awara, and himself that he
(Amaechi) would fund the polls and ensure their victory, having
assembled security personnel drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Police,
Department of State Services (DSS) and Federal Special Anti-Robbery
Squad (FSARS) to provide cover.He said the deal was conditional and
would confer de facto governance to Amaechi who would appoint 90 per
cent of all political office holders, including commissioners, special
advisers, chairmen and members of government boards, agencies and
parastatals.
Yeeh made stunning revelations on the main reason he dumped his former party. He ointed accusing finger at Amaechi all along.
Yeeh
continued: “He must be the one to nominate and produce all the 23 local
government council chairmen and other principal officers of the
councils. We,
that is, Biokpomabo and my humble self, must consult and take
instructions from him on all financial, policy and fiscal matters, as
well as the award and payment of contracts and other financial
transactions following our inauguration as governor and deputy governor.
“In addition, I was forced
to sign an undated letter of resignation as the deputy governor of
Rivers State, to pave way for Rotimi Amaechi to nominate another person
of his choice as deputy governor. These were clearly slavish conditions for any rational politician worth his name to accept. I
pretended to play along because doing otherwise at that time would have
been too dangerous a game for the safety of my life, given Amaechi’s
unconcealed desperation to remove Wike from office and install his
stooge in the person of Awara against all odds.”
He said records received from AAC agents showed that collation had been concluded in 19 out of the 23 local government areas before INEC abruptly suspended the process following the attack on its state headquarters by the army on March 10, 2019. According to him, contrary to false claims of fictitious lead by the APC/ AAC alliance, the PDP overwhelmingly
won across 18 of the 19 local government areas, culminating in the
declaration and return of the party in 26 House of Assembly
constituencies.
“If
we all agree that the desperation and failed attempt by Amaechi to use
the army to rig the governorship election for his infantile AAC
candidate was an affront to the democratic rights of Rivers people to freely
elect their leaders, what then can we say about the organised
brutality, bloodshed and killings that he unleashed on innocent persons
in Ahoada West, Akuku Toru, Asari Toru, Degema, Emohua, Khana, Ikwerre,
Okrika and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas?”
Yeeh
said the purported claim to victory by the alliance vanished when INEC
confirmed the safe custody of the collated results in 17 local
government areas and its readiness to resume and conclude collation as
soon as practicable.He revealed that the alliance has concluded plans to
again use security personnel to prevent INEC from resuming collation
from April 2 to 5, as scheduled. According
to him, the alliance also planned to use security personnel to arrest,
intimidate and force collation officers to change results in favour of
the AAC candidate.
“I
have come to the rational conclusion that the actions and desperate
attempts by Rotimi Amaechi and the APC/AAC alliance to rig the
governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Rivers are both morally and legally wrong, reprehensible and inimical to the collective interest of the people of the State. The
Almighty God will not forgive me if I continue to lend my support to
Amaechi’s perfidy against the democratic rights of the people of Rivers
State to freely elect their own leaders.”
Awara however said he had not seen any resignation letter to that effect. According
to him, when he spoke with his former deputy around 7:00 p.m. on
Sunday, Yeeh did not hint him of any plan to resign from the AAC and
join the PDP. He alleged that the purported defection was for pecuniary interest.
The
AAC candidate said though Wike claimed the AAC isn’t a party to reckon
with, it was shocking that the governor could allegedly use public funds
to shop for the deputy governorship candidates of opposition parties.He
accused Wike of luring the deputy governorship candidate of the SDP,
despite obvious legal provisions, which show that deputies are
part-owners of joint tickets and could not be separated from their candidates once they have appeared on the ballot.
Some, lawyers however spoke on the consequences of Yeeh’s resignation.
A
legal luminary, Adedipe Ifedayo (SAN), meanwhile told The Guardian that
Yeeh’s resignation has no legal bearing on the outcome of the polls. “Once he is not the main governorship candidate, his resignation has no bearing on the outcome of the elections. He can resign if he wants to. That is their internal problem,” he said.
Another
lawyer and APC chieftain, Tochukwu Anaba, said Yeeh cannot resign from
the party at this point, as he still remains a candidate of the AAC. “He cannot even step down. The quickest example is Oby Ezekwesili. She said she had stepped down and INEC promptly
responded that she could not at that stage. A deputy governorship
candidate is also a candidate. His stepping down or not stepping down is
immaterial. His name is on the ballot. After the election has been declared, whether they win or lose, he can step down. It has no legal effect,” he said.
While receiving Yeeh at Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike told him: “History will be on your side.
You have shown that the interest of the state is above personal
consideration. God will not only protect you; He will also reward you
for this decision. Rivers State is the only state we have. Everyone must
work together to move this state forward. It is important to take this
state to greater heights. It is not everyone that can take this kind of
decision. It requires maturity.”
At
the reception were Secondus; Rivers PDP chairman, Felix Obuah; former
governor, Celestine Omehia; senator-elect, Barry Mpigi; and other state
officials.The Guardian called via telephone and sent text message to
Amaechi’s media aide, David Iyofor. He was yet to respond as at press time.
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