19th April, 2014
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said Nyesom Wike,the Supervising Minister for Education cannot hope to be his successor because both of them belong to the same ethnic group.
Amaechi said the Ikwerres are morally barred from contesting the 2015 governorship election and that the contest is only open to representatives of other groups.
He spoke when the chiefs and elders of Ogu/Bolo paid him a solidarity visit in Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday.
He described those from Ikwerre nationality warming up for next year’s governorship election in the state as desperate politicians and called on the people to vote out the PDP.
“If PDP is bringing an Ikwerre man to run for governorship when an Ikwerre man has run for eight years, it means that what PDP is trying to do is to enthrone Ikwerre dominance, because Ikwerre has about 1.1 million votes in the four Local Government Areas, then Ikwerre would dominate the governorship of the state”.
He argued that because Ikwerre has more voting strength that other ethnic group does not mean that other ethnic groups should perpetually be dominated and denied the chance to produce the Governor of the state.
“I have told Ikwerre people that the young man(Wike) whose ambition is blinding him must be thrown out, all Ikwerre people must rise against him and vote for a candidate from another ethnic group,”obviously alluding to Wike.
Governor Amaechi pointed that if other ethnic groups allow him to succeed, then their children will never be governor again because all it will take is when he finishes, another Ikwerre man will try to succeed him.
He advocated for justice and equity for “rotational Governorship “among the ethnic groups
“So Ikwerre people have had their turn and I’m an Ikwerre son, my mother is Ikwerre, my father is Ikwerre, I’ve no blood from any other relationship, so Ikwerre people can’t say i am not Ikwerre”.
Amaechi said even the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state would toe the line of justice and fair play not to field any APC governorship candidate from Ikwerre ethnic nationality for the 2015 governorship poll.
“I will not support governorship to go to Ikwerre in APC but as the governor of Rivers State and a frontline member of APC, if I help to ensure that we don’t allow an Ikwerre candidate in APC to allow others to take it, it means that the way to protect yourselves and your children is to vote for that candidate and not for the candidate they are bringing in PDP because Ikwerre cannot govern for another eight years”.
He gave assurance that the access road to Ogu/Bolo would be completed soonest as he promised to mobilize local contractors next week to complete the project and other ongoing projects in the state.
He also pledged to build a new model secondary school in Ogu/Bolo to advance education.
Earlier, High Chief Jonah Tamuno on behalf of Ogu/Bolo Chiefs and elders thanked Governor Amaechi for his inspirational and courageous leadership.
He expressed appreciation that the governor has demonstrated high level of liberality in providing democratic dividends for all Rivers people.