Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The governorship candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Sobomabo Jackrich, has revealed what he thinks is the reason why the Rivers State Government under the leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike is allegedly planning to deal with him.
Jackrich, a United Nations Ambassador for Peace, is accusing the Rivers State government of planning to blackmail him, get him arrested and prosecuted on trumped-up charges ahead of Saturday’s governorship and national assembly election.
He made the allegation at the weekend while speaking with newsmen.
Early last year, his socio-political organisation, Kengema Unity Forum also made a similar allegation, accusing the Wike-led administration of making a blackmail plot in order to apprehend him.
However, explaining why he seems to be on the watch list of the state government, the former Niger Delta freedom fighter, at the weekend, said it was because of his determination to rescue Rivers State from the grips of bad leadership.
He said: “Because of the level of commitment I have in trying to liberate Rivers State from the hand of this set of wicked leaders who can decide not to employ people until when they want to leave office in two days; who can decide not to promote civil servants until they want to exit office, they use it as a bait to gain maybe their votes.”
Sobomabo Jackrich, a former caretaker committee chairman of Asari-Toru local government area, called on the people of Rivers State to be aware of what the government is planning with the court against him because of his opposition to bad policies.
“Such leadership, because I stand up against them; I have called on Rivers people to be aware. I have raised this alarm again, and this is what the government and their court have planned again, to smear my name,” he said.
In a related development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, also at the weekend in Port Harcourt, accused the state government of planning to blackmail its house of assembly candidate for Port Harcourt City Constituency 1, Emeka Ede.
Last week, an APC house of assembly candidate in Asari-Toru LGA, Okorinama West popularly known as Shaggy, also raised alarm over an alleged plot by agents of the state government to blackmail and arrest him over alleged cooked-up charges.
He said the plot was not unconnected with his house of assembly aspiration, calling on Rivers people to be aware.
At the time of this report, the Rivers State government has not responded to the allegations.