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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on elected senators of the state to work towards promoting the interest of Rivers people because they were elected on the premise of the supreme sacrifice of the people.
He said Rivers people sacrificed their lives for the victory of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the general election, noting that on no account should they be relegated to the background.
Wike spoke, yesterday when the Rivers State PDP state agents presented the official Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) results of Rivers East Senatorial District and Rivers West Senatorial District to the party at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Governor Wike said: “Always work for the party. Never abandon the party and always consult the people before you take any action.
“God gave us this victory. But for God, this party wouldn’t have emerged victorious. Our people died because they defended democracy and the party.
“Our people took risks and bullets to defend our votes. They paid with their lives to defend PDP. Whatever you do, remember our people took bullets and risked their lives to ensure your victory.
“If our people didn’t take risks, you wouldn’t have won your seats. Therefore, you must always remember the sacrifices of our people.”
The governor said all elected representatives of Rivers must promote the state because of the circumstances of their victories.
While congratulating the two senator-elect, Wike said their victories came through the hard work of party members across the state. He said in Rivers East and Rivers West, Rivers people worked for weeks to deliver the PDP, despite the challenges posed by the Nigerian Army and other security forces.
PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said what has happened in Rivers State should serve as a lesson to the country that the will of the Niger Delta region must not be toyed with.
He commended the Rivers and Bayelsa states governors for setting up judicial commissions of inquiry to investigate the violence against the people, saying the findings will help to stop a reoccurrence of the ugly attacks on the people by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
Presenting the results to Rivers PDP, state PDP agents, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, and former deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, informed that in Rivers East senatorial district senator-elect, George Sekibo (PDP) polled 283, 759 votes to win his closest challenger, Azubuike Nwuke, who scored 9,852 votes. They added that for Rivers West, Mrs Betty Apiafi (PDP) scored 159,215 votes to defeat the SDP candidate who polled 20,139 votes.
Opara said the victory of PDP is a vote of confidence in Governor Wike for his outstanding performance.
In his response, Sekibo said members of the National Assembly from Rivers State will always place the interest of the state above personal consideration. He said that Rivers elected representatives are aware of the sacrifices made by the people and they will reward them through dedicated performance.
He commended Wike for his outstanding commitment to the PDP which translated into the victory of the party.
Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of the INEC result sheets to the candidates by the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah.
