Wike, Rivers New Dictator – The Value News

By Elizabeth Chukwuma

Barely after one month to the end of his first term in office as the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, has applied the sledge hammer on 12 local government Chairmen in the state., described in political circles as an abuse of executive powers and signs of dictatorship by the governor .

The affected Chairmen are Philemon Kingolo – Okirika, Tom Aliezi – Emuoha, Daniel .O. Daniel – Abua/Odual, Tony Phimoore – Degema, Lahteh Loolo – Khana, Paul Kobani – Ghokana, Ben Eke -Ahoada East, and Samel Nwanosike Ikwerre. Other affected local government Area Chief Executives s include Paul . L. Paul of Andoni, Christian Nwaiwu – Omuma and Erasmus Victor of Ogu/Bolo.

Political watchers believe that there is more to it to the suspension of the local Chairmen in the state. They noted that the suspension of the local government Chairmen had come at a time , when indigenes of the state and government officials both at the state and local government levels were celebrating the issuance of Certificate of Return , by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at the Polo field in Port Harcourt. But Simeon Nwakudu, Special Assistant to the governor on Electronic Media, said the Chairmen were suspended for not attending a state function hosted by the governor.

The governor may have known the implication of suspending the local government Chairmen without the approval of the State Assembly that he was said to have intimate the Assembly leadership which supported the moves.

many believe that in spite of the offence committed by the Chairmen, Wike should have sheath his word and still give them another opportunity to hand themselves. They believe that that by taking a hasty decision without given them opportunity to defend themselves shows that that he had already make up his mind to suspend. They noted that linking their suspension to their failure to attend a state function was an after-thought

political Sycophants may have created the impression that the Chairmen never worked for the party during the election but the routing of other Party Candidates who participated in the election including Wike, the party flag bearer speaks volume.

It was also learnt that during the trying moment of the governor when it became glaring clear that there was a grand Conspiracy by the Abuja group allegedly headed by Rotimi Amaechi , a former governor of the state and minister of Transportation to frustrate him from been declared winner of the governorship election , the local government Chairmen were said to have stood behind him. The votes won by the governor in the 12 local government Areas of the state including Andoni, which is Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the PDP Local Government Area, should have made the governor to change his mind and allow them to remain in office till after May 29, 2019..

The suspension of the local government Chairmen may have encouraged the state party Executive, who already have an axe to grind with the local government party Chairmen in the state to suspend them indefinitely. The governor who should have called Felix Obuah, the state Party Chairman, to order, may have been handicapped to do so as he was said to have started the suspension saga.

The Obuah led PDP Executive in the state may have followed suit to the governor’s action barely one day after the he suspended the Chairmen of the 12 local government Areas to show his loyalty to him. No reason was said to have been given by the Obuah led Executive of the party in the state for the ”indefinite suspension of the party Chairmen in the 15 local government Areas of the state”.

A party source who spoke to The Value News disclosed that the duo , may have taken the action because of Complaints from the affected local government Areas that the local government and party Chairmen , had worked secretly for the opposition African Action Congress AAC, Candidate, Awara Biokpmabo, at the instance of Amaechi, the minister of Transportation and godfather of APC, in the state.

It was learnt that the affected PDP Chieftains at the local government level were taking instructions from Amaechi on how to ensure that Awara, the AAC, the flag bearer ,wins the governorship election. The source informed The Value News that Wike and Obuah , may have played along with the local government Chairmen as well as the Party Chairmen , waiting for an opportunity to apply the sledge hammer on them.

The opportunity came and the governor did not hesitate in using it to his own advantage. He was said to have given them a verbal query but was not satisfied with their response. This may have given the ammunition to suspend them from office with” immediate effect”.

many believe that but for the delay in announcing the state governorship election result by INEC, the duo would would have suspended the 15 local government Areas and party Chairman long ago. They have delayed it to gather more facts about their anti-party activities in the state. Felic