The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state has reacted to comments credited to the governor of rivers state over security details given to APC candidates, as well as other comments made by the governor in the past two weeks.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the party in the state, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, titled: “Why is Governor Wike hysterical over APC candidates’, it said the conduct of the governor makes people wonder if he understands the office of a governor.
It wondered why the governor who had been labelled the king of rigging by some persons, will be raising unfounded accusations against all and sundry over plans to rig the rerun elections.
The statement went on to state that the governor has sinister motives for wanting to know the security architecture of opponents and based on his utterances in the past two weeks, should be checked by all relevant agencies.
The party also condemned what it called the cheap blackmail of its candidates and members by the governor and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the run up to the polls.
The statement read:
“Despite the decision to ignore the barrage of worthless statements by Governor Nyesom Wike in the past weeks concerning the December 10 rerun election in Rivers state, the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) however, has observed that the governor seems to have particularly taken interest in scrutinising precautionary personal security arrangements by APC candidates as the rerun elections approach.
“To drive home his needless hysteria, Governor Wike has gone to town reeling out names of alleged security agents protecting APC candidates, claiming that the security agents will be used to cause electoral mischief particularly for snatching of ballot boxes.
“The governor’s verbal incontinence in the past two weeks has led to several people wondering aloud publicly, whether the governor truly understands what the office of a governor in Nigeria means.
“The APC finds this matter quite worrisome because ordinarily the governor should not be bothered by security arrangements people make for themselves in the face of general insecurity that presently pervades our once peaceful state now under his watch.
“It is all too well known that he lacks the moral grounds to genuinely fight insecurity, having caused it ab initio. It is highly suspicious that a governor will climb a political soapbox and start reeling out names of security agents attached to his political opponents.
“The easiest thing that comes to mind is that Governor Wike has very sinister motives for seeking to always ascertain the security architecture around his opponents. Why does he always complain whenever it appears that his opponents are not as vulnerable as he would want them to be security-wise?
“The APC gave up on Governor Wike when he recently declared before the world in one of his infamous exercise of verbal indiscretion that he is the “the king of rigging” and swearing: “make thunder fire all these APC people.”
They went further to say, “even if we are no more shocked by Governor Wike’s circus show, we only ask what manner of governor is this. How did we get here?, the party questioned.
“A couple of days ago, Governor Wike boasted about a recording in his possession in which the Rivers state police commissioner was planning with APC to rig the rerun elections. Today, he said that he also has information on the inspector-general of police planning how to deploy policemen to rig the elections.
“Tomorrow, we do not know the next scoop the governor will boast of, as a superman of politics and everything.
“The APC condemns the continued blackmail of all stakeholders except himself and PDP in the forthcoming rerun elections. We remind Gov. Wike that immunity in public office has expiry date.
“The DSS DG recently disclosed that the service will surely come for Gov. Wike whenever he leaves office for obstructing the lawful action of arresting and investigating a suspected high court judge. It is certain that there are many issues he will have to be made to account for someday.
“The APC calls on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General, DSS and other security agencies to hold Governor Nyesom Wike responsible for any harm that happens to any APC candidate or member before, during and after the December 10 rerun elections,” the statement read.
Wike had berated the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ), for allegedly releasing an All Progressives Congress (APC), dominated list of ad-hoc staff, for the December 10 rerun elections.
According to him, INEC had included APC Ward Chairmen and Ward Secretaries as Assistant Presiding Officers (APO’s).
