We Congratulate R/S PDP for Facilitating a Presidential Confession

We Congratulate R/S PDP for Facilitating a Presidential Confession

The Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress [APC] would like to congratulate the PDP for providing a platform for their Presidential Candidate and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to confess that he has not done anything of significance for Rivers State in his 6 years as President of Nigeria.

We recall that the Presidential confession, made by President Jonathan at yesterday’s PDP Presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, completely agrees with the position of the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that the Federal Government led by President Jonathan has been deliberately wicked to Rivers people. We also believe that the ambience, capacity and integrated nature of Adokie Amiesimaka Sports Complex might have compelled Mr. President to make such a rare confession. We thank him and the PDP all the same.

However, we regret that the PDP had to rent crowd from faraway Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Bayelsa, Abia and other nearby states to successfully fill the 40 thousand capacity sports complex built by the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration for the PDP Presidential Campaign rally. Such self-delusory dishonesty is what we in the APC abhor and we know that the PDP Presidential Candidate probably deserved better.

The APC would like to urge the PDP to find time to similarly take Mr. President through the Eleme Junction Interchange, the Obri Ikwerre Flyover on Federal Government East/West Road and other projects executed by the Governor Amaechi administration in less than 8 years. May be, Mr. President would be moved to go beyond confession and refund the N105 billion of Rivers taxpayers’ money deployed by Governor Amaechi in the rehabilitation/reconstruction of Federal roads in Rivers State.

For example, when Governor Amaechi came to power in 2007, it used to take more than 6 hours to make a round trip between Port Harcourt and Obigbo on a typical day.  Governor Chibuike Amaechi had to hearken to the agonies and pleadings of the people and residents of the state by constructing the Eleme Junction Interchange after approval by the Federal Government who are the asset owners and based on the promise that the Federal Government would refund the costs promptly. To this day, Mr. President has refused to refund a kobo of that money.

Finally, the APC empathises with the PDP that due to the late arrival of Mr. President and his entourage, the rented crowd from faraway places like Calabar, Benin, Uyo and Yenagoa, had earlier left the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for their tortuous journey back home in view of the distance and bad roads. This resulted in the President and his entourage meeting a half empty stadium to his chagrin and that of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. We wish the PDP better luck next time! And that can only be assured if they get honest with themselves and refrain from such perfidy as renting crowd for rallies. You can rent crowd but not their conscience.

Chris Finebone

State Publicity Secretary