Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) said she has watched with amusement what the party described as the recent “macabre dance” by Governor Nyesom Wike with his crop of jesters, political jobbers and jokers when they assembled during the weekend at Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, the home town of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, erstwhile Governor of Rivers State and the incumbent Minister of Transpiration to an event they termed as foundation laying ceremony to reconstruct a primary school in Ubima.
The APC in a a press statement circulated on Tuesday in Port Harcourt by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the Media Consultant to Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya the State Chairman of Rivers APC to Media Organisations said, “We would have not disturb ourselves over this event if there was any sincerity by Wike and those who accompanied him to the event if not that they attempt to use the event to ridicule, abuse and malign the person and personality of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, his benefactor and a great son of Rivers.”
The party further reiterated that, “For Wike to have supervised the looting and destruction of the model Secondary School and Primary School in Ubima described in some quarters as better than most Higher Institutions in Nigeria built and equipped by the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and for the same Wike to turn round to embark upon the frivolity of last Saturday in Ubima where he claims of reconstructing a dilapidated Primary School demonstrates and position Wike as someone lacking understanding of what governance is all about. The party wonders the rationale behind leaving a model Primary school well equipped in Ubima and embarked upon a the reconstruction of a dilapidated primary school that gave way to the construction of the model school in Ubima if not to score cheap political publicity.
“We truly sympathise with Wike as all his efforts to disparage and malign the person and personality of Amaechi always backfires thereby exposing him not only as a vindictive person but a fellow pursuing the impossibility of equalling the feats of Amaechi in the politics of Rivers State and the country at large.”
The party pointed out that Wike is not only a colossal failure in governance but his abhorrence for the educational advancement of Rivers State is legendary as captured in the following accounts:
1. It is on record that throughout the miserable two years plus of his administration he has never built or initiated the construction of any school block in any Local Government Area of the State as the Ubima’s initiative is his first step.
2. Wike supervised the decimation and destruction of the education sector in Rivers State through cancellation of the free education initiated by the administration of Amaechi
3. It is on record that Wike stopped the foreign and local scholarship schemes put up by the administration of Amaechi and instead squanders Rivers funds on sponsoring the activities of the ailing PDP in the country.
4. Recalled Rivers State students in foreign countries pursuing courses relevant to the future development of Rivers State
5. He sacked over 13,200 Teachers employed by the administration of Amaechi and kept under lock and key the 23 Model Secondary Schools and 320 Model Primary Schools scattered all over the 23 Local Government Areas of the State.
6. Pocketed the funds meant for the construction of some of the model secondary/ Primary Schools in Rivers State without executing the projects.
The APC expressed happiness over the conduct of the Ubima people who have to assemble to perform traditional cleansing of the Ubima town by sweeping off the feet of Wike and his crop of jesters immediately after the unholy event of last Saturday.
According to Chief John Didia the Ubima traditional Ohwor title holder during the cleansing ceremony stated, “It is sacrilegious for any true son or daughter of Ubima community not to support Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi. Today, we have roads, light, Health Centre, Model school and more educated people than in the past before his rise to power, when we used to send food stuffs to the government, begging for development. Since 1992 till date, every governor visits our community, because of Amaechi including those who do not like him.” For avoidance of doubt, the Ubima Traditional Owhor holders according to Ikwerre tradition, speaks the minds of the gods and are the true custodians of the land.
As if the above was not enough, Ohna Ubima in Council (Traditional Custodians of Laws) further stated, “This will be the last time any politician will come to our community to insult, degrade or disparage our son, Chibuike Amaechi. If the Governor wants to do any project here, he is welcomed, after all, our son, as governor in the state appointed him Chief of Staff for four years and later nominated him as Minister. He awarded several contracts to Wike for roads, schools and health centres in his own community. So whatever renovation works or construction he wants to do in Ubima is a simple way of appreciating what our son did for him and his people. That does not call for casting aspersions on Chibuike or his people.”
Both the Ohna Ubima in Council and the Owhor holders, we must confess spoke and presented the position of our party and that of any other right thinking person in Rivers State on the embarrassment that Wike has constituted himself to in the governance of Rivers State but we are convinced that Rivers State will know what to do by 2019.
On the misguided utterances of Sir Celestine Omehia during the ignoramus event, the party sympathised with him for reducing himself to the ridiculous position of an Assistant to Wike. This is a man who has nothing to show as a son of Ubima to his name both as a onetime Commissioner for Education and few months he served as a Care-Taker Governor of Rivers State, the statement added.
“As we commend the Ubima Community for this decisive step in support of their son, we must ask Wike to desist and allow Amaechi to rest as none of his efforts will ever make him to equal the records and feats of Amaechi who is his superior in all ramifications” the statement finally declared.
