"We are relieved by the exit of a mole" Amaechi, Rivers APC react to Ikuru's defection

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the defection of former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Engr. Tele Ikuru, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His exact has been described as good riddance to bad rubbish.
A statement by Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya reads, “Contrary to the thinking in some quarters, the defection of Engr. Tele Ikuru did not come to us as a surprise. Rather than being shocked, we feel relieved that he is no more part of us because Ikuru was a PDP mole in our midst.

Unknown to most people, Ikuru initially refused to leave PDP for APC with Governor Rotimi. Amaechi in November 2013. However, after series of meetings with his uncle and political mentor, Chief Uche Secondus, the National Vice Chairman of PDP, and some other PDP bigwigs, he was prevailed upon to follow his principal into APC.

“Engr Ikuru was asked to stay behind to monitor the activities of APC and most importantly to act as a mole for his uncle and plot the fall of APC in the State – a mission which he failed to accomplish because APC is not just a party in Rivers State but indeed a revolutionary movement fully embraced and jealously guarded by the people of the State.”

He added, “In keeping with the plot of making Ikuru the substantive Governor of Rivers State, PDP set in motion a machinery to use five misguided members of the State House of Assembly to impeach the Speaker, but the move was foiled by the Majority Leader, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, and other loyal members of the House.

The plan was that after impeaching the Speaker, the five renegade lawmakers would go ahead to impeach Governor Amaechi and subsequently declare Engr. Tele Ikuru as the substantive Governor.

“When this plot failed, Engr. Ikuru was asked to remain in APC in the hope that the Presidency would somehow find a way to force Gov. Amaechi out of office. As part of this plot, the Presidency contrived a crisis with regard to the appointment of a Chief Judge for the State but failed to actualise the appointment of Justice Daisy Okocha, who was expected to facilitate the impeachment of Gov Amaechi. 

When this plot failed, PDP resorted to the mobilisation of ex-militants from Bayelsa and Rivers states to protest in the State in the hope that this would result in a insecurity crisis to be used as an excuse by the Presidency to declare a state of emergency in Rivers and impose Engr. Ikuru as Governor.”

“When this failed his uncle, Uche Secondus, advised him to stay on but this time to destabalise APC in his Andoni Local Government Area. Towards. this end, Engr. Ikuru pocketed hundreds of millions of naira meant for the development of the party in Andoni and threw in the towel as he was about to be called to account for anti-party activities. 

We are, therefore, expectedly relieved by his exit and wish to call on our teeming supporters not to shed a tear as it will have no effect whatsoever on the fortunes of APC and its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the State,” the statement concluded.

Governor Amaechi reacted yesterday. His statement was signed by the state’s commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari.

“The Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has only this evening received the news of the resignation of his Deputy Governor Engr Tele Ikuru from the All Progressives Congress. Whilst the news remains unofficial at this time as the Deputy Governor is yet to notify His Excellency the Governor of this move, Governor Amaechi however wishes Engr Ikuru all the best in his future political endeavours.


He however wishes to note that the reasons adduced by Engr Ikuru are shocking as Deputy Governor lkuru has consistently been the one driving political activities in his local government area of Andoni and has been the second in command driving politics and governance in Rivers state.

On a personal note, Governor Amaechi has accorded Engr Ikuru all the privileges and respect due the office of the Deputy Governor and has treated him with love as a friend brother. Though the Governor had hoped that the numerous rumors of Engr Ikuru’s double-faced membership of the APC and open romance with the PDP were not true.
He however appreciates the fact that every individual has a right to pursue his political dreams, as he deems most appropriate. It is however regrettable that Engr Ikuru has chosen the hdishonourable path of barefaced lies and name-calling rather than the more honourable path of simply retracing his steps to where he has always been.”

APC Rivers lists the 25 sins of President Jonathan

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party yesterday issued a press statement via their State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya on the gross sins President Goodluck Jonathan has committed against the state.

Ikanya said: “These, amongst other wicked acts against Rivers State for
reasons only to be explained by President Jonathan and his managers explain why we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that this man who has run aground our economy will never continue in office beyond May 29, 2015.
He continued “For the record, President Jonathan is from Bayelsa, a sister State to Rivers. He is married to Dame Patience Jonathan, who is from Rivers State and having schooled in UNIPORT and lectured in the State before joining politics; one would have expected him to be a key factor in any election in Rivers State after the State gave him the highest number of votes in the 2011 presidential election but, shockingly, he will be the greatest undoing of his party in the 2015 general election.”
The 25 sins
1. President Jonathan failed to muster the courage and political will in a PDP-controlled National Assembly to see to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in the over six years of his administration to demonstrate his hatred for the Niger Delta region knowing that communities in Rivers State will benefit from the bill.

2. The East/West Road, especially Eleme-Onne axis in Rivers State, has not only been abandoned but is a nightmare to travellers and commuters.

3. Bodo-Bonny Federal Road is completely abandoned just because it is situated in Rivers State.

4. Refusal to refund to the State Government over 90 billion naira used in the dualisation of Ikwerre-Owerri Road approved by late President Yar’Adua and other Federal Roads in the State executed by the State to ease the sufferings of the people of Rivers State.
5. Wickedly stopped Train 7 at NLNG Bonny and the loss of jobs to our people and revenue to Government.

6. Non-implementation of UNEP Report on the clean-up of Ogoni land despite
all the pleas by our people and the International Community – just to punish the Ogonis and Rivers State irrespective of their overwhelming support for him during the 2011 elections.
7. Lack of any visible Federal Government project in Rivers State throughout his over six years as President of Nigeria. Instructively, of all the states President Jonathan has visited in the course of his re-election campaign, it was only in Rivers that he could not name a single development project he initiated, not to talk of executing.
8. Ceding of oil wells belonging to Rivers to Bayelsa and Abia states to ensure that the revenue accruing to the State is reduced to nothing.
9. Abandoned construction of the Port Harcourt International Airport after completing other airports started at the same time with it. The airport has thus become an eyesore. Pictures of the current state of the Airport attached explain the level of hatred President Jonathan has for Rivers State and her people.
10. Turning the Port Harcourt axis of Enugu-Port Harcourt Express Road into a death trap. The pictures attached of the bad state of the road explain everything.

11. Posting and encouraging the excesses of the tyrannical Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu during his inglorious days in the State.
12. Supporting the impunity of daily killing, maiming of members of Rivers APC by the Police under the watch of Dan Barure

13. Supporting every imaginable act of impunity in the State, including the plot by five State Assembly members to impeach the Speaker in a House of 31 members.
14. Seizing and grounding the planes of the State for no just cause.
15. Harassing and intimidating the duly elected Governor of Rivers State for no just cause and even supporting the splitting of the Governors Forum into two just to ensure that Governor Amaechi, who was duly elected by his colleagues, does not have an easy reign as the Chairman of the Forum.

16. Refusal to allow the Governor to construct the Federal Road that leads to the Kalabari Kingdom just to ensure that during the rainy season the Kalabaris will not have a road to their place.

17. Forcefully taking over the 50,000-seater Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
Incidentally, his party could not mobilise enough supporters to fill the stadium during his rally even after hiring supporters from Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
18. Refusal to refund the State the money used to construct the smooth, beautiful dual carriageway from Omerelu to Port Harcourt–particularly up to the Airport Junction from Owerri in Imo State, which the Federal Government abandoned just because Rivers State people ply that road.
19. Refusal to refund the money used by Rivers State to construct the Ahoada/Elele Alimini Federal Road and the interchange (Flyover) at Obiri Ikwerre.

20. Refusal to attend to the poor state of the Onne – Port Harcourt component of the East/West Road. This is the road that services the Port Harcourt Refinery from where petroleum products are supplied to the South East and parts of the South South. That is the road that leads to the Onne Free Zone and to Okrika, the home Local Government of Dame Patience Jonathan, Nigeria’s First Lady.
21. Turning a blind eye while his party continues to kill, bomb and disrupt our rallies.

22. Against the spirit of equity, unity, justice and fair play, President Jonathan imposed Chief Nyesome Wike from the Ikwerre tribe as PDP candidate, knowing very well that the incumbent Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is also of Ikwerre extraction and that if Chief Wike wins the next election – but God forbid! – Ikwerre tribe would have governed Rivers State for 16 years to the detriment of other tribes and sections of the State. This shows that President Jonathan and his unjust party do not wish Rivers State any good.

23. President Jonathan released all the N25 Billion that accrued from the principle of derivation from the five Soku Oil Wells that rightly belong to Rivers State kept in reserve for Rivers State and Bayelsa State were all paid to Bayelsa State his home State to prove his hatred for Rivers State
24. As a President, President Jonathan has continued to under fund the NDDC to ensure that Rivers State and in extension the Niger Delta region is not developed, till date, N500B owed by the Federal Government is yet to be paid to the Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC)
25. Refused to empower and fund the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs initiated by the Yar-Adua’s administration. The Minister of Niger Delta recently stated that the N41.7B due to the Ministry is not paid and it is affecting the 90 percent of the projects initiated by the Ministry just to ensure that projects to be executed by the Ministry in Rivers State and other Niger Delta States are not executed

Governor Rotimi Amaechi makes history in Rivers State

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers has made history by becoming the first Governor in the annals of governance in Nigeria to abolish the concept of non-indigeneship in any State of the Federation. He announced this over the weekend while welcoming a large crowd of non-indigenes in the State who paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Amaechi told guests, “I don’t believe in non-indigeneship. As far as I am concerned, you are entitled to everything if you have lived in Rivers State for at least five years. We are all Rivers indigenes. If you go anywhere around this. State and they are segregating against you, please, call my attention. The reason is that we are all Nigerians and we remain bonafide citizens of this country.  The All Progressives Congress (APC) believes that there is need for change because the government in power does not want money to reach you. We need the bottom-top approach for our people to benefit and improve their standard of living.” The Governor also announced the approval of a bus for the NIPF and 20 per cent scholarship for non-indigenes in the State amongst other largesse.”
 
 
His announcement threw the thousands of visitors into frenzy. It was a challenging day for the security personnel at the Government House as they never envisaged such a crowd which was  unprecedented in the history of solidarity visits to the Government House.
A chieftain of the Forum, Chief Williams Samuel Ubaka, presented the delegation’s address on behalf of the Coordinator of the Forum, Chief Uchenna Okokoba. He told Governor Amaechi: “We are  particularly happy with the uncommon transformation of your administration, and especially, in the areas of good and accessible roads, healthcare services, education, particularly, the world-class model primary and secondary schools that have admitted our children on scholarship; we are most grateful.” He also thanked Governor Amaechi for employing 20 per cent of non-indigenes during the last teachers’ recruitment exercise and approving some of their requests.
In his speech, Rives State APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, applauded the Governor for carrying non-indigenes along in his administration of the State, saying that by so doing he has demonstrated to the entire nation that he is a true nationalist and a patriotic Nigerian whose love for all Nigerians is no longer in doubt. Dr. Ikanya boasted that no other government in Nigeria has done for the non-indigenes in any part of Nigeria what Gov. Amaechi has done for those residing in Rivers State. He also hailed Amaechi for approving 10 per cent positions for non indgenes in the Ward, Local Government and State Executive Councils of the APC, which he  described as unprecedented in the country.
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