The chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Rivers State Chapter, Mr. Victor Fingesi, has described Governor Nyesom Wike as a dictator, who has little regard for democratic culture.
Mr. Fingesi said this while addressing reporters recently in Port Harcourt. The ADP chief condemned the PDP local government primary election exercise in Rivers State, which was marred with violence in several areas, leading to the governor’s autocratic suspension of candidates.
Mr. Fingesi said, “Governor Nyesom Wike is acting more or less like a dictator. He initiated a local government election against the wishes of majority of Rivers leaders and its people. He knew quite well that the issue regarding the local government elections is still in court. That is basically the reason he has been running the local governments with caretaker members since the inception of this administration. How come he is in hurry to conduct a local government election, knowing too well that he has about a year to vacate office?”
The ADP chieftain decries what he called Rivers at war, as a result of the level of violence that characterized the exercise in different locations of the state.
He said, “Rivers State is at war with itself. Can’t you see the level of violence that characterized the PDP organized local government primary elections? People were shooting at each other. I mean the same PDP members shooting themselves. The violence which brought PDP to power is now being extended to themselves.
The Rivers State Action Democratic Party chairman, Mr Fingesi called on the governor to exercise restrain in his action by imbibing democratic culture. The chairman said that a situation where the governor decides to unilaterally suspend a candidate without recourse to the appropriate organ of their party amounts to dictatorship.
He said, “Does the governor have the power to unilaterally suspend the candidates. Is that part of the PDP constitution? Is there not laid down rules for suspension or withdrawal of candidates? You can see that the governor has acted like a dictator in this very case. If it were to be in a clime were democracy is being practiced, the governor ought to be impeached”
The ADP chairman also called on Rivers people to avoid any romance with impunity in any disguise. He said, “You people can see the high level of impunity in the PDP. I therefore use this medium to call on Rivers people to reject impunity and embrace Action Democratic Party, where knowledge and democratic culture is upheld and practiced.
