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| Nwankwo, Soberekon, Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack, | Tobin-West formally collapse Rivers PDP |
The camp of embattled Care-Taker Governor, Chief Nyesome Wike, has
become further depleted with the exit of more heavyweights of the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of which he is the Leader. The latest in the ranks of Rivers PDP heavyweights who have recently defected to the All Progressives Congress
(APC) include three frontline gubernatorial candidates, Chief (Captain)
Sunday Nwankwo, Chief Bekinbo Soberekon and Engr. Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack,
which were rigged out by Wike during the PDP primaries. Others include
Dr. Diamond Tobin-West, Dr. Basoba Anga, Chief Tubonimi Wokoma, Hon.
Daye Ojuka and Hon. Ibroma Kirchner
Kick-starting the formal burial of PDP in Rivers State was Chief (Captain) Nwankwo, the Etche-born, Port Harcourt-based
billionaire and former National Presidential Committee Member of PDP.
The oil and gas czar dumped PDP and joined APC with thousands of his
supporters at a colourful ceremony held at Mba in Etche LGA of the
State. Addressing the huge crowd, Chief (Captain) Nwankwo said: “I was
hitherto a financier of PDP and the backbone of the party in Mba clan
but with the turn of events in the State, with Wike exhibiting inept
leadership and lack of power to govern a complex State like Rivers State, I am
hereby teaming up with my friend and brother, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside,
and others that are interested in rebuilding the State in APC. I hereby
promise to channel same resources to the victory of APC and all its
candidates. I, therefore, urge all my supporters in the 23 LGAs of the
State to cross over to APC and ensure the success of the party in all
the re-run elections in the State.”
Receiving the decampees, Rivers APC guber candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside,
reminded Etche people of the numerous roads he constructed in Etche LGA
when he served as Commissioner for Works and promised to do more when
he is sworn in as Governor of the State after the re-run elections.
Other APC stakeholders that witnessed the epochal event were Chief
Allwell Onyesoh, former Commissioner and immediate past Chairman of
Rivers State Post-Secondary Schools Board; Chief Nnamdi Okere, former
Etche Council boss and immediate past Special Adviser to then-Governor
Rotimi Ameachi; Chief Ogbonnah Nwuke, a re-run candidate for Etche/Omuma
Federal Constituency; Hon. Golden Ben Chioma, a rerun candidate for the
House of Assembly seat in Etche; Chief Okey Amadi, a former
Commissioner under Amaechi; Chief Ambrose Igbokwe Nwuzi, former
Commissioner; and Hon. Chidi Nweke, a former Commissioner of
Agriculture, among others.
In a related development, this time in Buguma, veteran politician,
Chief Bekinbo Soberekon, led Dr. Diamond Tobin-West, Dr. Basoba Anga,
Chief Tubonimi Wokoma, Hon. Daye Ojuka and thousands of other PDP
members in Kalabari Kingdom into APC. Rivers APC leader, Dr. Dakuku
Peterside, was on hand to receive the decampees. Peterside, who
thereafter received royal blessings from HRH Chief Vincent Fred, was
accompanied by several APC chieftains, among them Rt. Hon. Amachree, the
incoming Senator to represent the South West Senatorial Zone; and Dr.
Dawari George, the APC candidate in the re-run election for
Asari-Toru/Akuku Toru Federal Constituency.
As if the two events at Etche and Buguma were not enough damage to
the burial of PDP, Akuku-Toru the home Local Government Area of Hon Dr
Tammy Dangogo the immediate past Minister of Sports and Wike's strong
man formally hammered the nails on the coffin of the dying PDP in Rivers
State when in a carnival of praise and worship at Briggs Compound, New
York City-Abonnema; the APC State Chairman, Dr. Davies
Ibiamu Ikanya and His Excellency, incoming Deputy Governor of Rivers
State, Hon. Barr. Asita Honourable received Engr. Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack,
governorship aspirant of the PDP who led former Lawmaker, Hon. Ibroma
Kirchner and hundreds of high profile defectors from PDP.
Rivers APC in a statement issued Sunday in Port Harcourt warmly
welcomed the latest members of the party, congratulating them for taking
the right decision at the right time. The statement condemned Wike’s
threat to PDP stakeholders in reaction to the gale of defections to APC.
Wike, according to reports, summoned PDP stakeholders, threatening to
go down with all who may have benefited from his administration should
he fail in the re-run election. He reportedly said: “I am worried over
the incessant defection of many of my aides to APC in the State.
Everybody is running away to APC and they expect me to stay calm and
suffer the brunt alone. It will never happen. We were in it together and
we must suffer together. If they
say I stole money in the Ministry of Education, I didn’t eat it
alone. All of you took part. Some of you built the almajiri schools,
some built the unity schools, some supplied books, others supervised
projects. I have my proofs. Today everybody is shouting Wike killed to
get to power. Did I as a person kill any Rivers man? No. They were
killed in your LGAs by your boys. Now all of you are planning to run to
APC for protection . . .”
Rivers APC in the statement signed by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies
Ibiamu Ikanya, strongly condemned Wike’s threat, describing it as the
outburst of a drowning man. “Wike has seen nothing yet. He should be
ready to answer for his misdeeds because there is always a day of
retribution and you cannot sow the wind without reaping the whirlwind,”
the party said.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
SSA on Media and Public Affairs to the State Chairman, APC Rivers State
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