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Over 45 political support groups of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have endorsed the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Siminalaye Fubara.
They declared this at a youths summit for a peaceful election held at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt.
Governor Nyesom Wike, who addressed the support groups, said all that the G-5 governors wanted was equity, fairness and justice between the Southern and the Northern parts of Nigeria.
Wike, who spoke through the chairman of PDP in the state, Desmond Akawor, said he decided to support the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, when leaders of the party identified with the leadership of Rivers State.
“As you mentioned, core APC people who supported Asiwaju, who supported your party, at a point decided to identify with Rivers State, identify leaders of Rivers State under the leadership of Chief Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.”
The summit was organised by Rivers-for-Rivers Network in conjunction with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Rivers State chapter.
Chairman of the occasion and a chieftain of the APC, Tony Okocha, charged youths in the state, especially Rivers origin to take their destiny in their hands.
He urged them to rise up and uphold the visions of the founding fathers of the state and not to betray it, saying that their dream was for a peaceful, free and prosperous state.
Chairman, National Youth Council Of Nigeria (NYCN), Rivers State chapter, Chijioke Ihunwo, charged the youths not to vote for greedy politicians in the forthcoming governorship and house of assembly elections.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, Roland White, who represented the Commissioner for Youth Development, raised the awareness of the youths to their potential and power.
•8 candidates back out of Delta polls
In a related devlopment, eight governorship candidates and leadership of their political parties in Delta State have withdrawn.
The candidates told journalists in Asaba that they were abandoning their ambition in support for the candidate of the PDP, Sheriff Oborevwori.
They include Prince Henry Eze of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Emeka Bidokwu of Action Alliance (AA); Oghenejabor Onome of African Action Congress (AAC); Cosmos Annabel of Action People’s Party (APP); Emmanuel Ogba of Action Democratic Party (ADP); Okolie Austin of African Democratic Congress (ADC); Fred Obi of Accord (A) and Umudane Sylvester of Booth Party (BP).
Their withdrawal came about 24 hours when the candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Emmanuel Okoh, also stepped down for Oborevwori.
Speaking on behalf of the eight candidates, Henry Eze of APM said their was in recognition of the massive achievements of PDP, especially Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration in the state.
•Diri targets 24 seats, Sylva relocates to Bayelsa
Governor Douye Diri has charged members to ensure the PDP wins all the 24 seats.
The party has 20 seats while APC, which initially had five seats is now occupying four seats.
Diri who has been in high spirits since the party won the presidential election and seven out of the eight seats in the National Assembly with one outstanding seat inconclusive, in a meeting charged all appointees and stakeholders of the PDP to work hard for the total victory of the party in this weekend’s State House of Assembly election. He mandated all PDP members to relocate to their constituencies and work hard for the victory of all PDP candidates.
Minister of State, Petroleum and leader of the APC in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva in a final push to shore up support for the APC has relocated to Bayelsa to galvanise support for the party in the House of Assembly election.
His action became necessary considering the poor performance of the party in the national assembly election where it lost Bayelsa East senatorial district and the Nembe/ Brass Federal Constituency.
The party it was learnt was pained that all its projections for the National Assembly seats failed and has moved to bounce back by winning an appreciable number of seats in the House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, the government has called for a level praying field for all political parties and their candidates in Saturday’s election to ensure a peaceful election/
Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who stated this during a meeting with Nembe City Council of Chiefs at the Government House , Yenagoa said the purpose of the meeting is to promote pace.
•Nsukka, Enugu Obidients should do it again for LP –Ugwu
Good governance advocate and LP coordinator of Youth Expressions for Service (YES), Collins Steve Ugwu, has challenged Obidients to reenact the resounding victory of the LP in Nsukka and Enugu State generally.
According to him, the liberation dance in the presidential and National Assembly elections is worthy of repeat in the governorship and Assembly elections.
He thanked them specially for rising up to wipe off a shame that dented their heritage of decency, and proud cultural dignity.
“What you people said loudly in clear voice, was like washing our faces clean with the strong detergent of your votes. In fact, you went further to rinse it in out our historic “Ugwu Asho” spring water of purity, to reclaim an integrity we have always known is our unique emblem to global humanity.
“This keen resolve to break the jinx of a gross mis-governance since democracy came back, laced with multi layered deceptions, ideas frozen menace, and betrayals of core loyalists in the past eight years, must again boom like dane guns this Saturday, March 18, as we troop out to vote massively and fearlessly for Labour Party governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga and his league of House of Assembly candidates.
“I urge you Great Obidients, that you should perfect what you began by making certain that those who made festivals out of our misery, and dashed our hopes with tears, are kept on safe leash, to watch a new dawn they refused to easily make happen.
“Tell me, how can anyone rationally comprehend the brutal neglect of Nsukka, and her remorseless abandonment for a banal “Nrashi” (licking) insult, the regalia of performance, by an administration donated to Nsukka zone, to lift her people infrastructurally and economically, the way it was done in other places.? The crying need to “Restore the dignity of man” democratically, as the host of the premier citadel of learning in Iboland and beyond, is therefore an abiding duty this Saturday. Go get it done overwhelmingly and proudly stay alert to your votes. “You should note as you go out to vote Labour Party faithfully, that you are taking down a ‘political nest’ built on lies, and living large on greed with no virtue nor elastic legacy. Our best option therefore, is to enforce their expiry decently but effectively.”
