Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the amended Electoral Act, as a threat to the nation’s existence, predicting that the action would generate deadly political tension in 2019.
Governor Wike alleged that the whole essence of not signing the Electoral Act by Buhari was for him to rig the 2019 elections.
He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt, during the visit of the Anglican Bishop of Niger Delta North, Rt. Rev Wisdom Ihunwo.
“This present administration does not want the existence of one Nigeria. We don’t know if there will be Nigeria after the 2019 general elections.
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“The National Assembly tried to cure the defects of the Electoral Act that led to controversies during the 2015 elections. After the passage, the president kept on giving countless excuses why he would not sign the amended Electoral Act.
“The whole essence of not signing the Electoral Act is to rig the 2019 general elections. And in the plot to rig the 2019 elections, Rivers State comes first, Akwa Ibom State is the second on their list,” he said.
Governor Wike alleged that President Buhari was aware that, if he signed the amended 2019 Electoral Act, he would lose the 2019 elections.
He further alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is working against transparent and credible polls because its members have been rejected by Nigerians.
“Now, they don’t want to use the smart card readers because they want to sit down and write results.
“It is painful that the president that says he is fighting corruption is leaving room for the rigging of the 2019 polls. There is no corruption worse than rigging. The president cannot set this country on fire,” Wike lamented.
He noted that the country belongs to Nigerians, hence, every group must rise up to defend the nation’s democracy.
Governor Wike urged the church to work with other well-meaning Nigerians to resist the criminal intent of the APC-led administration in the area of election rigging.
Earlier, Ihunwo congratulated Governor Wike for making Rivers State proud within and outside the country.
He noted that the governor had turned the state into a huge construction site which had led to the governor emerging the best-performing governor in different sectors of the economy.
He appreciated the governor’s goodwill and support for the church.
“Our prayer is that, because you have willingly invested in the progress of the Diocese of the Niger Delta North, God will further open the channel of favour and opportunities for you in your political journey,” he said.
The highpoint of the visit was the offering of special prayers for the state governor by the Anglican cleric.