Ngeregbara explodes, says comparing Wike to Amaechi is like comparing a small creek to an ocean

A political group that is passionate about enthroning good governance in Rivers State, has insisted that the gross injustice against other ethnic nationalities, especially the riverine citizens must be addressed and the error corrected during 2019 general elections.

Speaking to Africa update in Port Harcourt yesterday the President of Free Rivers Development Initiative, Engr Sampson Ngeregbara, said the time has come for citizens to be educated on the characteristics of good governance and the need to enthrone it in Rivers State.

Responding to questions bothering on the feud between the former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of  Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike, Ngerigbara stated, ‘ In the first place, those who are comparing Nyesom Wike to Amaechi are making a very big mistake. It is like comparing a small creek to an ocean. It was Amaechi who gave birth to whatever Nyesom Wike is today.

‘It was Amaechi who ensured that Nyesom Wike became the council chairman. From that instant, he got him to become Chief of Staff in Government House, when he was governor. He also recommended him to Jonathan to be made a Minister  and eventually became a junior Minister of Education.

‘Nigerians, we have such short memories . I want to send you a video clip when Nyesom Wike was eulogising Amaechi, in one of the campaigns. In his words, ‘There has never been a governor of that sort in Rivers State, that touches the lives of people in the state.’ So what is the basis for comparing a son to a father? There is no basis!.

On recent agitations for a riverine governor, he disclosed, ‘ politically speaking , power should rotate either along senatorial districts or along the ethnic groups.’ He reiterated that due to the unique nature of the state and what occurred several years ago, when there was a perceived dominance by the riverine in the governance of the state, leaders gave the upland an opportunity to produce the governor.

‘Because Okilo became governor who is the Ijaw  ethnic group, Rufus Ada George became governor, he ruled for one and half years, the people felt it was morally wrong for another riverine person to become governor and voluntarily, consciously, we brought in Odili and made him a governor and when Odili completed his years in office, by God’s divine providence, he handed over power to Amaechi.

‘Amaechi completed his 8 years which is supposed to be the turn of  the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, therefore it is irrational, it is immoral, it is uncalled for, for any other Ikwerre person in particular to be governor, but Nyesom Wike, because he had access to limited funds , because he has access to somebody like Goodluck Jonathan, who felt that he had the magic wand to make him President, and he decided to go against the norm.

‘He decided to go against that which sustained our unity, and made Nyesom Wike governor of Rivers State. To us it is an arbitration, it is an error. The only thing we can do is to stop him. It is to end it, because it is something that took play by chance.

‘You know as I know that when something is built on a wrong premise, you will see the characteristics. You can see from the very first day  Wike became governor, indeed from the election, so many persons were killed. After he became governor, check from 2015 to date. If you count the number of lives that have been lost in this state to sustain this government. You know that it is saddening. Therefore every right thinking person must get registered and with their voters card, make sure that we terminate it.

‘If you speak with those who are part and parcel of PDP, they will tell you that some of them were either  coarsed to remain, some are under duress, for some, the action was taken because Nyesom Wike said he was going to run for only one tenure.

‘The only reason given for their support is that it is only wike   that can secure votes for Jonathan to become a President, and as you can see, man proposes and God disposes. In the first place , there is no one single man that can make somebody a President. Parochially, he refused to understand that Rivers State is a minority ethnic group, no matter how you look at it, in terms of voting strength, in terms of active population. We are a minority, and good sense would have informed that it is not possible for someone to become a President based on the votes from Rivers State alone.

‘Because of that, he jettisoned the common interest of every other person. He jettisoned the unity of Rivers state, , he jettisoned the peace of Rivers state and God failed them. So the right thing for everyone to do now is to come back to our senses and call this Wike to order and make him stop.

On the issue alleging that Okorocha granted amnesty to criminals declared wanted by Wike, Ngeregbara, stressed, ‘ what right has a governor to declare someone wanted. Now let me ask you. How many times has Nyesom Wike, organised amnesty in the state? Was Don wanny not part of those granted amnesty? Was he not? I saw Don wanny in military uniform in the presence of military personnel and also officials of Rivers State government in one kind of a program. I call it a charade they call it amnesty and after that program they spent our money.

‘Yet Don wanny had killed hundreds of persons thereafter. So what then is the meaning of Amnesty? I will ask the public to ignore the ranting of Nyesom Wike.’