Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the people overwhelmingly voted for him during the governorship election because of his outstanding performance and projects delivery.
Wike, in a response to an alleged false allegations made by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, during his appearance on a television programme, said the former state governor failed in his quest to truncate his second term because Rivers people were happy with his work.
He said he would not have responded to the falsehood being peddled by the minister, but he owed the public the duty to set the record straight.
He said: “It is unfortunate. I extended the olive branch and I meant every word of it. It was on that basis that the attorney general filed a nolle prosequi to withdraw the charge against Flag Amachree.
“If I did not do well in my first term, People’s Democratic Party wouldn’t have given me the party’s flag to fly. In 2015, the same man vowed that over his dead body would I emerge victorious.
“I have done well for my people. It is for the people of Rivers State to decide. It is not in the place of Amaechi to decide.
“We have over six million people and over three million registered voters. Therefore, Amaechi cannot say I cannot go for a second term. He has only one vote.
“In the past, he said an Ikwerre man cannot succeed another Ikwerre man. Today, he is saying his grouse is that I cannot go for a second term. At every step, he has one story or the other.”
Governor Wike said contrary to the story that Amaechi peddled while he was on the television programme, kidnapping raged during his tenure.
He said it was so bad that the Sstate Chairman of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission under Amaechi was kidnapped.
The governor noted that despite the national high rate of insecurity, Rivers is relatively peaceful, with very high ratings.
“Our internally generated revenue has improved due to the peace and security in the state,” he said.