Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has said that Rivers electorate will use the forthcoming election to punish the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for abandoning them during the October and November 2022 flooding incidence.
Governor Wike made the remark at the Community Secondary School in Akinima Town during the Rivers State PDP campaign flag-off rally at Ahoada West local government area on Tuesday.
The governor explained that the flooding situation was devastating in some communities of Abua/ Odual, Ahoada West and Ahoada East Local Government Areas with houses submerged, the people displaced, and their socio-economic life disrupted.
But during the period the flood lasted, Governor Wike recalled that the national leadership of PDP refused to visit those communities as a way of identifying with Rivers people when it mattered most.
Governor Wike emphasised that even though the PDP national leadership refused to identify with Rivers communities, they gladly visited flood impacted communities in other states, and identified with them, which could now be interpreted that they hated Rivers State.
For such hatred, and the mindset that Rivers State does not matter, Governor Wike said the electorate would use the power of their permanent voters cards (PVCs) to “pepper” the PDP national leadership in the forthcoming election.
“You had a problem, a major problem. Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua-Odual, had a major flooding problem. After all, they’ll say we are in the same party. Is there anybody from the national of our party that came to visit Ahoada West, Ahoada East, and Abua?
“But they went to other states, which means that they don’t like us. If somebody says he doesn’t like you, will you force yourself on them?”
Speaking further, Governor Wike reassured the people of Ahoada West local government that his administration would deliver to them a fully reconstructed Government Secondary School, Okarki.
Governor Wike told them that the contract for the project was awarded long time ago and paid for in full, but their sons who got the contract failed to deliver on schedule.
He assured that it would be re-awarded and completed before his tenure ends on 29th May, 2023.
Governor Wike urged the people not to allow ballot box snatchers in the area to outsmart them anymore particularly, now that the elections will be conducted electronically.
