Wike’s 100,000 political aides vote-buying technique –Kwanee

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

 

Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Leyii Kwanee, has faulted the proposed appointment of 100,000 political advisers and liaison officers by Governor Nyesom Wike, describing the move as an advanced vote-buying technique.

Kwanee, a former deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, also dismissed the state government’s approval of N1 billion for flood victims as a reactionary measure.

The ZLP governorship candidate made the assertions following Governor Wike’s media chat on Friday, saying that preliminary investigations revealed that the appointments were a support strategy to the newly approved Executive Order 21.

During the media chat at the Government House, Port Harcourt, the governor reacted to a question on his recent decision to appoint 14,000 persons as political advisers, 319 ward liaison officers, 40 local government area liaison officers, and a subsequent appointment of 28,000 special assistants, for over 6,000 polling units in the state.

“With the continued escalation of the figures, we do not know what the final numbers would be with the increase on a six-hourly basis.

“We submit that a government has the power to make appointments. However, where the same is made without disclosing the identities of the so-called governor’s special assistants, special advisers, and liaison officers at the wards and local government areas levels, that would raise eyebrows and call for concern among the citizens of the state.

“This is particularly so, where the corresponding job description for these mass of appointments remains unknown to Rivers people and other major stakeholders in the state. Moreover, where this is coming from a government with the poorest records in history in human capacity development through employment of Rivers people in the state’s civil service,” Kwanee said.

On the N1 billion flood fund, Kwanee said: “It is also worthy of note that the approval of N1 billion by the Rivers State government as an emergency measure to support flood victims, especially in Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas of the state, is a reactionary measure.

“It is disheartening that this government was unable to follow sincere and consistent pre-flooding notices and warnings from relevant agencies of the Federal Government and allowed this avoidable calamity to befall Rivers people.”