Spokesman of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council in Rivers State, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke has described as worthless, illogical and ill-conceived, claims by the spokesman of his party’s Presidential Campaign Council in the state.
Nwuke, who stated this in an address presented at a press briefing at the PDP council campaign office, in Port Harcourt, said the allegations were products of poor workmen, who are usually in the habit of quarrelling with their tools.
You recall that the spokesman of Atiku and Okowa Campaign Council in the state, during a chat with the media accused Rivers PDP of planning to dress up some persons in branded T-shirts bearing the face of the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in order to destroy or deface billboards and posters.
He also claimed that Wike’s PDP was on a move to recruit 20 political thugs in each of the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State who would be used to intimidate innocent and defenceless citizens.
Nwuke, while addressing these claims said, “Despite claims that supporters of the PDP in the State that are loyal supporters of Governor Wike are pulling down or defacing billboards, billboards carrying the faces of candidates of other political parties, including those that are aspiring for the presidency, are standing elegantly along major roads and streets.”
He insisted that, “nobody in the PDP loyal to the leadership of Governor Wike has removed them. The media is at liberty to confirm our assertion. The media is also at liberty to confirm whose posters are being torn by agents of the Atiku campaign organization.”
He also accused those he described as agents of the presidential candidate of resolving to underhand practices in an alleged attempt to stir distrust and unrest in the state.
His words: “We have stumbled upon a plan by the pro-Atiku group led by a War Canoe Chief, supported by some rogue politicians who believe in divide and rule tactics, to use murderers, assassins and ex-prisoners to inflict bodily harm on innocent and defenceless Rivers people.
“The idea, we have learnt, is to destabilize a peaceful State, create fear and unrest and cause public disaffection through the generation of bare-faced terror and mind-boggling violence.
“More importantly, the idea is to cover up their evil plan to attack the State, stimulate tension and attempt to halt the ongoing and commendable bid by Governor Nyesom Wike to deliver more facilities to the good people of Rivers State in accordance with his electoral promises.
“As part of the plan, they are already running on the theory of the big lie by fabricating all kind of tales, so they can later claim they told us so. In their desperation, they have even claimed that we are assembling thugs.
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“Atiku’s Spokesman, by his utterances demonstrates quite a lot of limited knowledge and crass ignorance. His utterances do not show that he understands the intentment of the Electoral Act and the content therein.
“The votes will count in this election. The people will decide who rules them. Election results shall be transmitted electronically. INEC has introduced BVAS, meaning that only those who are qualified to vote will take part in the forthcoming elections.
“The hijack of polling boxes have become obsolete. No one can write results. That practice has become archaic. So, what will thugs do?
“Besides, the Wike administration has surpassed all expectations in terms of project delivery. The Rivers people know this, the Nigerian people appreciate this fact and the Federal Government has acknowledged this reality.
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“Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta who have pitched camps with some candidates as we prepare for election are doing their best to campaign reasonably and peacefully. They are refusing to be dragged into the fray by blood thirsty politicians who are Incidentally working for Atiku.
“Armed with the kind of scorecard that Governor Wike has put on the table, the goodwill that the PDP in Rivers State is enjoying, what do we need thugs for?”
Debunking further, claims by the Atiku’s spokesman in Rivers State that the Rivers PDP of which he is part is recruiting 20 thugs per LGA. Some ‘LGAs like Khana and Etche have at 19 wards, Nwuke asked, “Is Atiku’s Spokesman saying that every ward will have an average of one thug each? If this is correct, what impact will one or two thugs have in a ward comprised of so many electoral units?
“This shows how hollow and how shallow these claims are. This exposes the lie that Atiku’s uncouth spokesman is telling the world. Those who are spinning these lies however forget that the wildcat allegations which are being deployed cannot, and will not earn sane votes for the presidential flag-bearer of the PDP.
“They should go about selling the candidature of the PDP Presidential Candidate instead of contemplating violence. They should tell the Rivers people who have eyes, who have ears and know what is happening, why they should vote for Atiku.”
He stressed that, “no amount of veiled threat will deter us from going ahead with our mission as the party of Rivers people. Our mission is to keep Rivers people safe, build sustainable infrastructure which will drive the Rivers economy, and grow commerce and industry by establishing a robust partnership with the organized private sector.
“Our vision is to provide health facilities, deepen the state’s quest for formal education, use the extension of university campuses to the grassroots as a vehicle for cultivating university communities, and growing rural economies.
“More than that, the new roads within and outside the state capital that have been conceived under the New Rivers Vision, the flyovers which adorn our major city, are all part of a deliberate plan to create increased and unrestricted access, encourage the flow of goods and services and the speedy evacuation of agricultural produce.
“Taking these attainments to higher levels is the task before Sir Siminalayi Fubara. We are glad that in Sim we have a competent administrator, an experienced technocrat, and a man with a heart of gold who understands the civil service and his fellow Rivers people.
“The future of our State belongs to those who love and respect her, who have a will to carry along everyone, and who are determined to provide development projects for the upliftment of our people and their communities.
“We urge the Rivers people to stand with Sir Sim Fubara and the PDP. Sim shall fulfil his part of the social contract and consolidate on the achievements recorded through the new Rivers Vision enunciated by Governor Nyesom Wike.”
