• Mile 1 Market’ll be ready December –Gov
Tony John, Port Harcourt
Some stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its pro-group, Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), have declared that nobody or security forces can stop the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, from completing his second term in office.
They spoke yesterday, at the official reception of hundreds of alleged All Progressives Congress ( APC) supporters, who defected to the PDP in Rumuola, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The PDP chieftains also said GDI has endorsed Wike to continue his developmental works and vowed to mobilise supporters from across the 23 local government areas of the state to ensure his victory at the poll.
Speaking on behalf of the 23 PDP chairmanship candidates for the June 16 local government election, Samuel Nwanosike said PDP and GDI have decided to work tirelessly for the success of Wike’s re-election.
Nwanosike, who is the national publicity secretary of GDI and immediate past publicity secretary of PDP in the state, said Wike should be allowed to complete his eight years in office.
“Wike has created an enabling environment for effective grassroots participation in politics by fixing a date for the local government election.
“Our leader, Wike, has redefined the PDP. With the ongoing development projects in the 23 councils, Wike has shown he has managed our resources well.
“No one can stop him from completing the good work God has called him to do in the state. We will support his second tenure. Wike will sweep all the votes in the 23 councils and their wards,” he said.
The PDP chieftain condemned the interference of the 2015 general election in the state by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), allegedly led by its Commander, Akin Fakorede.
He said: “One million Fakorede and all the people he is training in the North and other parts of the country, to rig elections in Rivers in 2019 cannot’s Wike re-election because we, the grassroots people, have resolved to defend democracy in the state.
“We have got our permanent voter’s cards (PVCs) ready, to vote out those who have not done anything for us, the people of Rivers State. We will vote out the Federal Government,” he said.
Also, a member of the House of Representatives, Okechukwu Chindah, has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be transparent and conduct a free, fair and credible elections in 2019.
Chindah said any attempt to rig Rivers election in 2019, by INEC and security agencies, would be resisted, stressing that their mandate is to work for Wike and PDP’s victory in 2019.
Meanwhile, the governor has assured that Mile 1 Market in Port Harcourt, currently under construction, will be completed by December.
Speaking after inspection of the project yesterday, Wike said: “We are putting in place a befitting market for traders in the area. Recall that the immediate past administration promised to construct this market, but failed the people.
“The contractor said the market will be completed in September, but, we are willing to allow him till December to enable them deliver a quality market.”