From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has said former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo, did not have any leadership position to speak on behalf of the state.
Wike described Sekibo as a self-seeking politician who has not been able to attract democratic dividends of whatever kind to the state while he served as Transport Minister and also to his home town, Okrika.
The governor spoke during the inauguration 319 ward and 32 constituency liaison officers in Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
He declared that PDP governorship candidate, all House of Representatives, Senate and State House of Assembly candidates would win the 2023 general elections. He, however, said the state was yet to determine who to vote in the presidential election.
“PDP will win our state. I am not hiding it as far as the governorship, House of Reps, Senate and State Assembly is concerned. The other one, we have not decided, until the right thing is done.”
On Sekibo, he said: “I watched a video when one Dr. Abiye Sekibo, while he was addressing people in his house yesterday (Sunday), said he is the director of Atiku’s Supporters in Rivers. I have no problem about that. But, he does not have that capacity to speak on behalf of Rivers State.
“In that video, he said that Rivers State has been having close relationship with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that Rivers State has always benefitted from Atiku Abubakar. I want to correct one impression, Dr. Abiye Sekibo has a personal relationship with Alhaji Atiku, not Rivers State.
“Dr. Abiye Sekibo was Minister of Transport when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was the vice president of Nigeria. Can you people mention one project in Okrika, I don’t even want to talk about Rivers State, in Ogu/Bolo, one project that he brought down to Rivers State. Is there any one?”
The Rivers State governor said leadership is not about personal aggrandisement, but serving the people, protecting their interest, while building up others as competent successors.
Wike said people like Sekibo number among those who were never satisfied with the fortunes they had enjoyed in life, otherwise, he should have been silent in public sphere for his failure in leadership.
“I was a minister, junior minister in that matter. But, I am proud to say anywhere I go to in this State (Rivers), I brought dividend of democracy to Rivers State. As a junior minister, I brought the Oil and Gas Polytechnic to Rivers State that is sited in Bonny. There was no Faculty of Law at the University of Port Harcourt since the creation of that institution. But, I brought it.
“As a Minister, I made sure Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic and the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, even if they are state’s institutions, I made sure they got grant of N500 million each.”
Governor Wike also mentioned his several educational intervention at the primary and secondary school levels, which depicted what true leadership should be.
He said Sekibo, as Secretary to the Rivers State government, did not also execute any project of note in Okrika. Wike said, as Chief of Staff, he delivered several road projects in Rumuepirikom.
He urged the constituency and ward liaison officers to do their work in getting reports on the feelings and expectations of the people about his administration’s performance.