Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, has stated that the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, planted Senator Magnus Abe in the party to destroy it.
Eze, a former spokesperson of the New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, said this while reacting to the emergence of billionaire business mogul, Archt. Tonye Cole, as the governorship flag-bearer of the APC in next year’s elections in the state.
He described Cole’s emergence as the beginning of the process of liberation of the state from Wike’s misrule.
Eze, in a statement made available to theportcitynews on Wednesday, noted that the nomination of “a God-fearing, passionate and patriotic Rivers man like Cole is all that the APC needs to kick-start the process of delivering the state from the crippling grips of the PDP and Governor Wike’s administration of waste and misrule.”
He accused Senator Abe of conniving with Wike and the PDP at the weekend to organise a parallel primary, against the directives of the National Secretariat of the party, a move he said “affirmed the allegations against Abe that the Senator had been working all alongside Wike to sabotage the fortunes of the APC in Rivers state.
“At this period of our history when Wike’s government is only interested in using Rivers State’s funds to revive a dead political party instead of investing in our youths and future of the State, the need for a calibre of person in the stature of Pastor Tony Cole coming to our rescue need not be overemphasised. The fact remains that he is the most potent answer to Governor Nyesom Wike’s misrule in the state”, he said.
He further noted that Cole’s emergence as Governor of Rivers State would address the perceived injustice done to the riverine segment of the state, which had not had a shot at ruling the state since the advent of the current democratic dispensation.
He also added that Cole’s stepping down from Sahara Group as Chief Executive Officer, to enable him to participate actively in the Rivers state’s governorship race is a positive step towards sacking the Wike administration.
“It is gladdening to note that with the resolve of APC to field a riverine candidate of Ijaw extraction, particularly from the great Kalabari Kingdom, the injustice of upland governing Rivers state for twenty years to the detriment of the riverine area would have been addressed.
“The resolve of the party to elect a candidate like Arch Tonye Cole, whose intimidating credentials are something that will aid the party in her efforts and mission to change the fortunes of Rivers state positively, is commendable. This internationally acclaimed billionaire and son of a former Managing Director of Daily Times Newspaper and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil, Pa Patrick Dele Cole, will actually send shivers down the spine of Governor Nyesom Wike and his handlers.
Eze congratulated Dr Dawari George who came second during the APC gubernatorial Primaries for “demonstrating that he is a true leader whose loyalty to the party is not in doubt. ”I, therefore, plead with Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs not to allow the enemies of Rivers State to misguide him and assist the party to salvage the State from the shackles of PDP evil administration.”
Speaking further about the illegal parallel primary organised and conducted by Abe, Eze said, “Senator Abe by hiring PDP elements to aid him to organise an illegal parallel primaries, against the directive of the National Working Committee of the party, vindicated and justified my position that Abe is not interested in having a united and virile APC but is out to do anything to weaken and if possible collapse the party’s structure in Rivers State just to pave way for Governor Wike to continue with his maladministration of the State till 2023 when they promised to hand over power to him.
“Now that Senator Abe has made his intentions public, it will be futile and unfair if the leadership of the party fails to do the needful and save the party from desperate elements like Abe”, he said.
Eze, however, urged all Rivers state’s sons and daughters to unite behind Cole so that, “collectively, we can move the state forward.”
