Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has been
commended for embarking upon a ‘Meet the People Tour’ of the 23 Local
Government Areas of the state with a view to assessing the impact or otherwise
his government has made in various communities. The commendation was made by
the State Chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which
described it as a political masterstroke.
“This is yet another big plus for Governor Amaechi, who already has
various remarkable feats to his credit. His decision to embark upon this tour
demonstrates that he knows his onions as far as governance is concerned. It is,
to say the least, a political masterstroke as it has further endeared him, his
administration and the All Progressives Congress to the people of the
grassroots,” APC said in a statement issued Wednesday in Port Harcourt by the
State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.
The party berated the State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) for reading political undertones into the tour, saying that the party’s
criticism of the well-intentioned tour smacks of mischief and naivety.
APC said: “Governor Amaechi clearly explained the purpose of the tour,
saying, ‘The purpose of my visits to these communities is to bring government
closer to the people and discuss ways to ensure more development impact on the
grassroots dwellers before the expiration of my tenure in 2015.’ The Governor
also said, ‘This visit is not for campaign. We are here to discuss what will
benefit the people at the grassroots. I am interested in the politics of
development.’
“It is therefore mischievous for PDP to allege that the tour is driven
by ill- conceived motive and an attempt to intimidate and influence the
electorate ahead the 2015 elections. The sinking PDP is being naïve by equating
a meet-the-people tour with an attempt to intimidate and influence the
electorate even when the time for electoral campaigns is still far away. PDP is
simply afraid of its shadows, fully aware of the doom awaiting it in the 2015
elections, having already been rejected by the good people of Rivers State.”
Rather than campaigning through the back door, Governor Amaechi,
according to APC, used the tour to present his scorecard and developments
invested in the communities visited while allowing the communities to make an
input into governance.
“Contrary to the bad politics of PDP that criticised the tour out of
ignorance of what governance is all about, the good people of Rivers State are
happy with Governor Amaechi for embarking on this tour as it has presented the
Governor with an opportunity to interact with the leaders of the various
communities visited, devoid of any partisan politics as both PDP and other
smaller political parties like it in the State also participated in hosting and
welcoming the Governor to the various communities. PDP should commend the
Governor instead of unwarranted malicious criticisms which expose the party as
lacking in seriousness,” Rivers APC said
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