Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Governor on Monday, charged Rivers people to overwhelmingly vote for the PDP during the Saturday Governorship and House of Assembly elections and ensure they defend their votes.
Wike who spoke at the Town Hall Meeting with leaders of Rivers East Senatorial District in Bori urged the people to be peaceful and vigilant to ensure that their votes count.
He said: “Just be vigilant and protect your votes. We have no security with us, but we have the Chief Security Officer of the world on our side.
“If they like they should bring Police, Army and thugs from all over the world, we are quite confident that we shall smile on March 9, 2019. Come out and vote for people you can vouch for”.
Governor Wike said it is unfortunate that the Minister of Transportation would imagine that he can impose a politician without pedigree on Rivers State, just because he is desperate.
‘Has Rivers State gone to the level where someone will point at a person and make him governor? He says he will bring anyone even without record.
“Rivers State is not like any other state. We will not allow a godfather to operate here. Our only Godfather is God “.
He urged Rivers people to adopt a peaceful disposition all through the Governorship and State Assembly elections. He said those who plan to use security forces to kill Rivers people should know that the security personnel will come and go, but Rivers State will remain.
“You are not participating in the elections. Why are you killing our people. You should allow the will of God to prevail. Talk to our children to avoid being used for violence.
“Reject violence as being propagated by the APC”, he said.
He wondered why the APC leadership should resort to the promotion of Electoral violence, when they ostracised themselves from the political contest.
“Those who want to shed blood in Rivers State will never succeed. I don’t know why they are plotting to destroy the state. We never caused any problems in the APC. APC fought themselves and pushed themselves out of the race. Now they want to kill everyone in the state. What is the offence of Rivers people, that we must all die because the APC excluded themselves from the ballot?
“Where are the children of the APC leaders preaching violence in Rivers State “, he said.
The Governor said nobody in Rivers State ran for the post of President and Vice President on February 23, 2019, yet the APC visited deaths on Rivers people.
He berated the Minister of Transportation for playing a politics of lies and failed promises. He said that the Minister said that he believes in the rotation of positions, yet he nominated himself as Minister, sacked an Ogoni man as the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of NDDC and replaced him with his kinsman from Ikwerre LGA and also facilitated the appointment of an Ikwerre LGA indigene as a member of Federal Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission.
The governor commended the people of Rivers South-east Senatorial District for voting for all PDP candidates during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. He urged them to step up their votes as his administration will site projects in each of the seven local government areas that make up the district.
Governor Wike called on the security agencies to perform their duties in line with the rules governing elections. He advised them to conserve their energy to fight Boko Haram and violent crime.
He said that those who involved themselves in street protests claiming they will kick him out are merely playing because they have already kicked themselves out of the process. He said Rivers people have already decided to vote him again for a second term .
The Governor said that the Rivers State Government will hold a remembrance service for all those who were killed during the Presidential and National Assembly elections violence at Abonnema. He added that the State Government will reach out to the bereaved families and the soldier who lost his life.
