Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said governors and others defecting from PDP to APC lack conscience and cannot be trusted.
The governor said it was ludicrous and hypocritical of the APC to demonise the PDP and then turn around to poach members of the same party.
Wike stated this, yesterday, at the flag off of Woji-Aleto-Alesa-Refinery road and bridge with spur to the East-West Road at Woji town. He said those defecting from PDP after riding on the back of the party to power, have proven that they are treacherous.
“People who could not win ordinary election, the party used technicality, went to court and got victory for them. Now, they say they are leaving the party; hopeless, shameless human beings, people who have no conscience.”
Governor Wike accused the APC-led government of blackmailing and coercing some PDP governors and members to join the ruling party.
He reiterated that no amount of blackmailing or intimidation will make him leave the PDP.
“Bring everything you have against me, I will not join you. Rivers State will not join you. Even if it is only Rivers State in this country, we will continue to be Peoples Democratic Party.”
The governor took a swipe at former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, for saying the Federal Government paid Rivers State government N78 billion in cash as refund for federal projects done by the state.
He said the Federal Government merely issued a promissory note, but failed to back it up with cash.
“I didn’t know, Peterside does not understand what they call promissory note. N78 billion was not backed up by cash by the Federal Government. N78 billion was approved by Federal Government, but not in cash. And so, the bank has to come in to take it and discount it, because the Federal Government is going to pay them back in the next four years. What Rivers State government got was N52 billion out of N78 billion. But, in principle, N78 billion was approved, but was there any cash? No cash to back it up”.
Governor Wike said it was disingenuous for Peterside, whom he convincingly defeated in 2015 governorship election, to deny his administration’s glaring infrastructural achievements, such as construction of nine flyovers, schools, hospitals, roads, cassava processing factory, among others.
He disclosed that under the previous administration in which Peterside served as Commissioner for Works, contractors were compelled to pay bribe and ironically starved of funds.
According to him, this was why projects like the Rebesi-Trans-Amadi-Elelenwo road awarded to RCC was abandoned by the previous government and he had to complete it. Governor Wike said it was on record that Peterside, who hails from Opobo and was a former Commissioner of Works, failed to complete the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity road due to his abysmal performance.
He further challenged Peterside, who was DG of NIMASA, to explain why the cabotage office was relocated from Port Harcourt to Lagos, and to declare what the state benefitted during his reign in NIMASA.
