Tonye Cole, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has stated that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, lacks the moral right to ask for a second term, in view of his abysmal performance.
Cole, in a statement in Port Harcourt through the Spokesman of his campaign organisation, Ogonna Nwuke noted while reacting to the New Year’s Day message of Wike that the Rivers governor had squandered whatever was left of his goodwill.
According to him: “What is Wike really coming back to do? Rivers people gave him a chance to serve them in 2015, after the abracadabra that took place. Rather than work for them, Wike turned against them and chastised them from day one.
“Rather than for Wike to keep Rivers people safe, heads of innocent and defenseless persons were gruesomely cut off. Whole families were wasted by hit squads, while property worth millions of naira was destroyed in many parts of the state.
“Three and a half years down the line, the Rivers governor, who has squandered the opportunity to write his name in the history books, wants a second chance. Even members of his party (PDP), who have seen how bad he is, are not looking forward to a Wike’s second term.”
Cole stated that the Rivers people, pushed to the wall by Wike’s maladministration, could not afford to gamble with the future, stressing that it was time to hold the leaders accountable for their deeds, while insisting that it had nothing to do with political party.
He said: “We challenge the Rivers governor to tell people of the state what he has done with billions of naira belonging to them. Before asking for a second tenure, Wike should tell Rivers people where he kept the N117 billion that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says has been stolen from the coffers of Rivers State.
“Wike should tell Rivers people where he is getting billions of naira that he is using to buy them out of their lands and acquire palatial structures all over Port Harcourt.
“Rivers governor should tell us why we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, despite billions of naira that are flowing into the state. He should tell them why we are number one in all the wrong places: insecurity, waste mismanagement, occurrence of HIV/AIDS and the national misery index.”
The governorship candidate of APC also urged Rivers people to say no to looting, while declaring that the score card of Wike’s administration was not encouraging.
He said: “Wike has failed abysmally to improve the health sector. He has not delivered in the education sector. He has failed the civil servants and pensioners who worked tirelessly to lay the solid foundation for the growth of our dear state.
“What Wike has is a bag full of colossal failures. Unlike Wike, Cole, who has a clear plan, will not allow the heads of Rivers people to be severed from their bodies and used gruesomely to decorate roadsides, in order to induce fear.
“Unlike Wike, Cole understands the need to create an appropriate environment for investments and understands the place of bureaucrats and technocrats who work in the state’s civil service.
“Cole knows that the greatest task of any responsible government is to protect lives and property. This is why Rivers people should ignore Wike’s appeal for a second tenure and vote APC.”
Cole also assured that his government from May 29 this year, by God’s grace, would bring back security, investments, jobs and empowerment, as well as to restore the Garden City status of Port Harcourt with the greening and cleaning of the state capital and its environs, with end put to the hazardous soot.
