APC announces the burial ceremony of PDP in Rivers State

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the formal burial of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.

The party made the statement after about 85,500 people came to the Mega Rally held last Saturday in Port Harcourt to commensurate the judgement of the Supreme Court that gave victory to the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi who claimed to have been denied of his governorship victory in 2007.

The Mega rally was held at the Amiesimaka Stadium.

Rotimi Amaechi

The rally which expected about 50,000 people increased to 85,000 after many citizens came to see the governor of the state. 46, 000 seated, 25,000 standing while 14,000 standing outside the stadium main bowl but also participated fully through the giant television sets and loudspeakers placed at the strategic places outside the stadium by the organisers

It could be recalled that NAIJA CENTER NEWS published the PDP lamentation on the instruction given by the governor to shut down shops and offices in Rivers State over the rally.

Present at the rally were all APC presidential aspirants – a former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.); ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; the Governor of Kano State, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso; his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha and LEADERSHIP Publisher, Sam Nda-Isaiah. Also in attendance were the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki; as well as a former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and his predecessor, Engr. Segun Oni, the Deputy National Chairman, South, of APC; lawmakers and other eminent personalities.

The event was used to celebrate the seven golden years of the administration of Governor of Amaechi in Rivers State that witnessed unprecedented growth in all sectors of the economy of the state, particularly in the areas of Education, Health, Agriculture, roads and other physical infrastructure, the formal commissioning of one of the best stadia in Nigeria, the 46-seater Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Complex that boasts world-class facilities for football, swimming, handball and several other sports.

The APC also received large members of PDP, among which were Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah Nwika, one-time Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly with Governor Amaechi as the Speaker then, one-time Commissioner of Finannce and two-time member fo the Federal House of Representatives from 2003-2011, decamping from PDP to APC with the 5,800 members of the PDP.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Deeya said “with today’s event, PDP ceases to exist in Rivers State probably only in the minds of few hungry fellows still singing the praises of confused Chief Nyesom Wike whose vision is just to take Rivers State to the days of insecurity that we have passed.”

While addressing the crowd, the governor said “They (PDP leaders) have made too much noise. President Jonathan says we exist only on posters and billboards. So, we brought a large billboard for him. If the President is not watching the rally, they will give him security report.This stadium is 46,000 seating capacity. I built it. It was built by me. One of them campaigning for Rivers governorship (Chief Nyesom Wike, the immediate past Minister of State for Education) was the contractor to do the roads. He abandoned the roads and took N3 billion and left. Now, he wants to be governor.

“I challenge them to an integrity test. Any of them from Abuja to Rivers State, I challenge them to an integrity test. I have worked with them. I have their records and their (records) are in the Office of the Governor.

“We have developed 750 megawatts, but the problem is Federal Government not allowing us to distribute electricity.

“We were to give Port Harcourt water. As I am talking to you today, the Minister of Finance (Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) has refused to move the file again back to Executive Council for approval, so that you can have water. They do not care for you. They want you to die of water-borne diseases. Punish them with your votes. Punish PDP with your votes. He (Jonathan) is our son; why can’t we have water?

The problem we have is that the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) is no longer working. Corruption is at its industrial scale. Thieves are thieves because we now have an industry called corruption.”

“They said the reason why the President (Jonathan) is not performing in Rivers State is because he is quarrelling with the Governor of Rivers State. Okay, what is the quarrel between the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and the Governor of Cross River State that the road from Akwa Ibom State to Cross River State is abandoned? Are they quarrelling too? It is more of lack of performance. When the President (Jonathan) spoke in Benin, he spoke in a stadium that was less than 20,000-seating capacity. When TAN (Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria) held their rally in Port Harcourt, they held it at the 16,000-capacity Elekahia Stadium and this was a South-South rally. The rally in Benin was South-South. The rally in Port Harcourt was South-South. This one (APC mega rally) is Port Harcourt rally. Do you remember Ebola? To show you how much the President hates us, he visited Lagos; did he visit Rivers State? He did not care. He wanted all of us to die, but I took it as a challenge and said none of us would die. Whatever it will take, I will do what I can by God’s grace to protect Rivers people.

Can you see our airport (Port Harcourt International Airport)? The president lands at the airport. But see how we look like refugees. They say there is no light at the airport. What did we do to them? We gave him the highest votes in the country and the punishment we get for given him the highest vote is operation nothing. So, APC is the solution to protect our interest. We must go there to vote out the PDP. It is not about our son.

They tell you that you should not vote for these people, because they are Hausa people, they are Muslims, but the refinery in Rivers State was built and commissioned by Tafawa Balewa, a northerner. Shehu Shagari started NAFCON, Ibrahim Babangida commissioned it. IBB started the Eleme Petrochemical Company, Sani Abacha completed it. They are all northerners; they are all Muslims. NLNG was started and completed by Abacha and he is a northerner and a Muslim. Bonny NLNG, NDDC, Niger Delta Ministry were established by northerners.

In fact, when late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was alive, Niger Delta Ministry was working; now it is only one item: East-West Road, and they say he (President Jonathan) is our brother. He is not my brother. My brother is the man who delivers on his services for me. If the President says he is our brother, let him call one project (his administration has embarked upon in Rivers State).”

Also speaking at the rally was the National Chairman of the APC, Chief Odigie-Oyegun. The Chairman assured that the APC would wipe out corruption in Nigeria and that APC is in charge of Rivers State, contrary to the claim of PDP leaders, stating that the progress in the state could be replicated at the centre and all over Nigeria.

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APC announces the burial ceremony of PDP in Rivers State