Rivers State PDP Campaign Council has taken a swipe at the publication in Page 46 of the Nation Newspaper of Wednesday 20th March, 2019 titled “Rivers State Electoral Crisis: Need To Urgently Stop Looming Insecurity And Disaster” credited to some APC members under the name of “Concerned Leaders and Elders of Rivers State”, describing them as leaders without honour.
In a statement issued today in Port Harcourt on behalf of the Council, the Director of Information and Communications Barr Emma Okah noted that the concerned elders failed the State at a time the people needed them most, to stand up for truth and leave enduring legacies that future generations will be proud of.
According to the statement, Rivers people faced peculiar violence inflicted upon her by the APC during the 2019 elections and any Rivers person who does not see this unfortunate turn of events orchestrated to deny Rivers people the oppprtunity to freely choose their leaders is an enemy of Rivers State and cannot profess love no matter how beautifully couched.
Okah said the concerned elders, without shame, are now appealing to President Mohammadu Buhari to salvage them by appointing a governor for them after they failed to win elections for the President and their beleagued governorship candidate.
“Credible elders and leaders live beyond themselves and stand up to be counted in moments of truth. While the leadership of APC in the State was running hostile agenda against the State Government and demarketing the state, these elders threw away their honour and looked the other way. They saw nothing; said nothing; and heard nothing. While one man was busy tearing the State APC apart, did these elders ask for peace and reconciliation of the warring factions? While a section of the APC was disobeying court orders and shutting down courts in Port Harcourt, did these elders speak up? As if that was not enough, while the problems of the APC in the state raged, did these elders advise against the subsequent adoption of a hitherto unknown party and governorship candidate to match the political war chest of Gov Nyesom Ezenwo Wike?” Okah querried, pointing out that the President wants to be a statesman and will not allow himself to subvert the INEC and appoint an unknown governor who did not win one unit in the election to make the concerned dishonorable elders happy.
Concerning the role of the army and FSARS and loss of innocent persons who died as a result of army and FSARS undue interferences during the elections, it is a calamity that the concerned elders justified the excesses of these coersive institutions despite the havoc their involvement has caused in terms of human casualties in Rivers State.
We are amused that “the concerned elders are only extending condolences to the familes of those killed during the elections weeks after their death and when the APC plot to impose a governor on the people failed. How else can anyone describe hypocrisy and shedding of crocodile tears by concerned elders and leaders?
On the state of the governorship elections in Rivers State, the Council is embarrassed by the demand of the APC leaders whose party was not in the ballot that the President should stop INEC from carrying out its constitutional duty regarding Rivers State Governorship and remaining House of Assembly elections.
It is ironical that while the Concerned elders and leaders are cleverly unable to explain to Mr President why they lost in the Presidential election despite the money and institutional support given to the APC in the State, they have now found a voice in the governosrship election by supervising and glibly judging which INEC officer did his job well and those that did not.
The PDP Campaign Council needs to remind the concerned elders that elections in Rivers State took place in the polling units and results generated from there were aggregated and found their way to the State Collation Centre. Nobody can change the unit results and forcing the INEC to change it by the elders will be like crying over spilt milk.
We advise the elders to be honourable and face the truth at all times as nothing can change the course of destiny as God has designed it for Rivers State.
Emma Okah
Director of Information and Communications Communications
20/03/2019
