Assistant Editor (South South), JOE EZUMA, presents account of President Jonathan’s campaign in Rivers State, describing it as a huge success.
Amid tight security and tactical manoeuvring, President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), last Wednesday, January 28, 2015, put a lie to insinuations of animosity to Rivers State and successfully rolled out his campaign in the state. There had been allegations by Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his All Progressives Congress (APC) that the president had done nothing for Rivers and Bayelsa states.
The other allegation against Jonathan was the ceding of the Souku Oil fields to Bayelsa and that of Ndoki to Abia State, as well as infrastructural starvation of Rivers by his administration because of politics. The president’s successful outing in the state seemed to have doused the tension raised by the allegation.
In what was considered great interest attached to the rally, party faithful and supporters of the president left Port Harcourt as early as 7am to the stadium located some 40 kilometres north of the capital city where they were thoroughly screened by security personnel that included soldiers and policemen.
The controversy over the attempt by the Rivers State Government to prevent the PDP from using the facility added to the interest, anxiety and concern which the rally evoked, hence under very excruciating sun, supporters waited patiently at the venue for over 10 hours before the presidential train that first held its rally in Akure arrived the venue at about 3.30pm.
While the rally lasted, Port Harcourt seemed to be left virtually empty, from the Elele, Choba, Airport road and parts of the East-West Road axis.
Although the president had often defended the allegation of neglect to Rivers and Bayelsa, the rally provided opportunity to clear all doubts and reassured the people that they have been and will be carried along by his administration. Among those that spoke at the occasion were Vice President Namadi Sambo, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State and Joseph Yobo, immediate past Super Eagles captain.
Jonathan assured that the federal government was determined to take development to all parts of the country, adding: “You will agree with me that when we looked at university education, we insisted that federal government must make sure that all Nigerian youths have the opportunity for university education; we did not divide North or South. We made sure that all the states that had no federal universities got federal universities, and that is our focus.”
Earlier, the Senior Assistant to the President on MDGs, Mrs. Precious Gbeneol, had listed projects powered by the federal government in the 32 local government areas of the state, including solar-powered street lights in Erema, Okposi and Omoku, 300KVA transformer in Nyekuya, Udenu Community Water Works, reclamation/shore protection in Okrika council, among others.
The president urged Rivers people to vote for him and Vice President Sambo, as well as the party’s governorship candidate in the state, to enjoy democracy dividends.
“I can reassure that just work with us; vote for us on February 14 and on February 28 for (Nyesom) Wike and Ipalibo Banigo, and definitely, we must leave indelible prints in Rivers State. Luckily, we have been challenged that we have not done anything. We must do something,” he said.
Regretting the insinuation by Amaechi, that he (Jonathan) had done nothing for Rivers and Bayelsa states, the president argued: “If we were favouring the South South zone against others, he (Amaechi) would have been the one to expose me to the outside world as a sectional leader.”
Explaining that he carried all states and zones along in his programme, Jonathan said, “I am a Port Harcourt man. I relocated to Port Harcourt after my secondary education, had my university education here, and worked here before I proceeded to my state for a career in politics. Port Harcourt is my primary constituency. So there is no way I can abandon it. Vote for me this time and see the indelible footprints we will leave here.”
Sambo with the gauntlet
In his speech, Sambo disclosed that Jonathan had so far transformed Nigeria, making it the largest and best economy in Africa, adding that, under the president, he (Sambo) had come to the Onne Port to commission the fourth phase and laid the foundation of fifth phase of the port. He added that “President Jonathan has approved the construction of costal rail line from Lagos to the states in the South South region”.
He further explained that under Jonathan’s transformation agenda, the nation had generated more power, contrary to what it used to be when they took over.
“Today, we have more than 4,500 megawatts of power supply,” he enthused, assuring that the administration would continue to work hard to ensure that Nigeria becomes one of the 20th most developed countries of the world.
On her part, Mrs. Jonathan urged Rivers people to vote for PDP because the party belonged to the state, adding that the PDP was the only party that ensured affirmative action and gender-friendliness.
“Rivers is PDP state and we have come back to take back our mandate. To my constituency, the women constituency, PDP is the only party that gave women 35 per cent affirmative action. PDP is the only party that gave women attention. PDP is the only party that knows that women are intelligent, honest and have what it takes to develop this country,” she said.
Wike’s challenge
The PDP governorship candidate, Wike, who vowed that PDP would reclaim the state at all levels in the elections, challenged Amaechi and APC to replicate their claim of two million votes of 2011 in 2015. He urged the president and the entire party leadership to go home and sleep unperturbed, for they will deliver the state to the party.
“They said that they delivered two million votes to PDP in 2011. If their claim is real, let them deliver same to General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.),” he challenged.
At the rally which ended at 5.45pm, the party flag was presented to Ezenwo, Wike and his running mate, Banigo, by the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.
APC kicks
The rival APC, however, described the rally as mere waste of time, boasting that PDP would lose the state.
