The All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained that it chose the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, as its consensus candidate to assuage the feelings of the riverine parts of the state. The party said the riverine part of the state feel marginalised as people from the upland part of the state had occupied the governorship position in the state for the last 16 years. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, the state Chairman of APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, explained that the party set out to address three injustices visited on some sections of the state. His words: “Rivers State APC was divinely set up to address three principal injustices visited on some sections of Rivers State. One of them is addressing the unjust situation of the riverine areas of the state not occupying the seat of power since 1999, after the eight years of Dr. Peter Odili and the eight years of the incumbent Governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi – all from the upland section of the state. “The second injustice is that of the Ogoni, a key tribe of the state, not producing a governor, deputy governor or speaker of the state House of Assembly since the creation of the State as far back as 1970. The last injustice is that of the South-east senatorial zone not producing the governor since the creation of the state; Rivers West having produced Dr. Odili while Rivers East produced Governor Amaechi, leaving the South-east in the cooler all these years. “Addressing these three major issues at the same time was a hectic task for the leadership of Rivers State APC and being a human organisation, it will be too much of a demand to achieve these three major goals at the same time. Therefore, in the wisdom of the party leadership they achieved two of the three goals by conceding power to the South-east senatorial zone and also resolved to shift power from the upland to the riverine area of the state. “This zone presented four great leaders in the persons of Senator Magnus Abe, who is representing the zone in the upper chambers of the National Assembly; Mr. Tele Ikuru, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State; Hon. Dakuku Peterside; and Mr. George Feyi, Secretary to the Rivers State Government, among other great leaders. “Any of them so chosen will still defeat whatever any other party may present in the 2015 elections but in every given contest, one person must emerge and when the party decided to address the riverine issue Hon. Peterside from the riverine area of Opobo/Nkoro local government area, member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) who is a symbol of unity of both the Ogoni people and both the riverine and upland sections of the state, becomes the general acceptance to fly the flag of APC in the 2015 gubernatorial election of Rivers State.” Ikanya said the explanation became necessary so that people outside the state would not misconstrue the intentions of the APC. He commended the leadership of APC in the state for “settling for a personality widely accepted by all the sections of the state, described as a symbol of unity, visionary, egalitarian and most importantly patriotic whose love for the state and her people is infectious.” He described Peterside as a man who had earned a reputation as a charismatic and disciplined leader; creative and hardworking, a broad-minded fellow with strategic insights. “He brings integrity, compassion, pro-poor perspective and intellectual dimension to bear in tackling tough national issues. His loyalty to friendship and bridge-building skills are remarkable,” he said. Meanwhile, Peterside has said Amaechi has laid a formidable foundation of service delivery in the state, adding that he would have no reason not to perform well if he emerges governor in the 2015 general election. Peterside spoke at the weekend while addressing supporters at Kono Waterfront shortly after he collected his permanent voter’s card in Opobo Town, Ward 3. He said: “I want to express appreciation to Governor Amaechi who made efforts to make Rivers State great. He was a visionary leader who came and transformed the state. He has laid a solid foundation for me. “I am extremely surprised to meet you people of Kono here because, I didn’t contact anybody to gather you here to meet with me. But, I believe, you heard I was coming home and I will pass through this route to my town, Opobo that was why you decided to gather here to receive me. “Let me remind you all that Kono and Opobo have been two neighbouring towns which share common interest. I am very sure that nearly every Opobo person has a family in Kono and I know that if I come to Kono, every Kono person will receive me into their homes. I think, this is a time that every Kono person should begin to kneel down and thank God for locating us.” He also gave the indication that his administration, if voted into power, would eliminate poverty and build on the economic potentials of the state to achieve a better life for all Rivers People. “When we assume power in 2015, I will wipe out poverty. I will ensure that the economic potentials are realistic in building a new Rivers State, and that I believe we can do with the help of God Almighty. All we need to do is to give our leadership immense support. We will build on the foundation of Governor Amaechi. In this journey, everybody has a role to play. “Everything begins with a step and the first step you will take is to go and obtain your voters card. It is your power to determine your leaders in 2015. Don’t subject yourselves to any bribe. It will fail you from the determination of your future. I urge you all to play your part. Promise me that you will not disappoint me. Rivers people should trust me. I owe you people a responsibility to deliver,” he said.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 05:58:25 +0000
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