By Valentine Amanze
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has declared that the recent gale of defections that hit the All Progressives Congress (APC ) was caused by the failure of the Federal Government to meet the expectation of Nigerians.
He alleged that the APC Federal Government runs on vindictiveness, intimidation and illegality, whilst denying Nigerians the dividends of democracy.
The governor spoke after projects’ inspection on Saturday in Port Harcourt.
Wike also predicted that more high profile defections were in the offing across the country.
His words: “Politics is all about alignments and re-alignments. We expected these defections, knowing that the ruling party at the National level has completely failed the people.
“It is not hidden that even when they had majority in the two chambers of the National Assembly, they never had it easy because their representatives knew the APC has nothing to offer the people.
“For me, I had expected these defections more than a year ago. More will happen across the country “.
He berated the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, for his double-speak on Benue State Governor, Dr Samuel Ortom.
He also decried the unfounded allegations by the APC National Campaign against the Benue State Governor on the killings by herdsmen in the state.
“APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said in one breadth that Ortom is the best that they have. The following day because he had defected he said fielding Ortom would have been a calamity. This double-speak is laughable.
“I think it is unfair for the APC National Chairman to begin to do the work of the security and the judiciary. For him to indict the aides of Ortom for Benue killings when the APC never took that position when he was in their party is most unfortunate. Now that the Benue State governor has defected, they are throwing up these allegations. These are the people who claim they want to fight corruption, but they are always acting illegally.
“This is politics of vindictiveness. This is politics of vengeance. There is an extent to which you can push people. You can intimidate people, but not all the times. When you push people to the wall, they tell you ‘enough is enough ‘. That is what you are seeing today in Nigeria. ”
Governor Wike said that the PDP was working round the clock with all stakeholders to put an end to failed APC Federal Government in 2019.
He said that the PDP was stronger and more vibrant, having been rebuilt over the last three years.
“What we are doing now is part of the preparedness towards 2019. If we are not prepared, people won’t come to the party. They know that the PDP is very serious and PDP is stronger.
“It is not easy for an opposition party to receive defectors of such magnitude. It shows that the party is doing quite a lot. We don’t need to make noise. But people are working on the ground. We don’t need to come on the pages of newspapers to outline what we are doing. The ruling party only believes in intimidation and harassments”, he said.
He noted that in Rivers State, the APC Federal Government is using the EFCC to intimidate government officials, despite a subsisting court judgment on the matter.
He assured that the state government would not succumb to intimidation.
On the execution of projects, Governor Wike said that his administration would sustain projects delivery till the end of the first term.
He said that the time for political campaigns have been earmarked, pointing out that it will not affect projects execution.
Wike inspected dualisation of the Elelenwo-Akpajo road, the construction of Judges Quarters in Port Harcourt and the the ongoing construction of Mile One Market.
He was accompanied by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Rivers State Executive Council.
