The candidate All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers South East Senatorial District in the legislative re-run election, Senator Magnus Abe has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of playing on the intelligence of Ogoni people to score cheap political point against him.
Speaking at a rally in Bodo community, Gokana Local Government Area, Abe said, so-called Kpopie-Bodo road the governor said he flagged-off was a farce intended to deceive the people and turn them against Senator Abe in the legislative re-run election.
He pointed out that the road was not in the budget and the cost of the road was not stated, yet Wike at the middle of the rainy season flagged-off the construction of the road.
“Gov. Wike never told Nigerians the cost of this project that he is doing, because the road is a political contract. It is not in the Rivers State budget, which he passed. So, how is he doing a road that is not in the budget? It means that he did not plan for the road. He has no conception of the road in his mind. But because they are about to do election and he needs to fight Senator Abe, so, he thinks of a road and runs to Bodo to go and launch it in the middle of the rainy season. Is this how a governor behaves?
Abe said that the intention of Gov. Wike is to deceive the Ogoni people that he has their interest at heart in order to encourage them not to vote for their best candidate.
He challenged Gov. Wike to show that the road project was genuine, pointing out that even if the road project was genuine that it had revealed that Wike’s government is not transparent and a one man show.
“This particular contract has exposed to the entire world everything that we have said is wrong with the present government of Rivers State. We have said the finances of the state is opaque (it is not clear). Nobody understands what is going on with the resources of Rivers State except for Gov. Wike and his few cronies. Even his own staff does not understand. How can you come and launch a road and you never mentioned the cost and scope of the project? You did not tell the people how many kilometres the road is. The only thing we heard is that there will be underground drainage and street lights. Is that how to describe a work that is being launched by a governor? When we were in government in Rivers State; when Amaechi comes to launch a road, the commissioner for Works will stand before the people and explain the project; this project will start from here to here. It is so so kilometres; it will cost this much; it is being awarded to x, y, z company; the scope of the work is like this; it is dual carriage way; this is what the road will do; this is the suffering that the people are suffering now that this road will ease. Tell me what are Gokana people suffering now that this Wike’s road will come and cure for us? The road was done almost 90 percent”.
“Everybody knows I am not the contractor on the Kpopie-Bodo road but I nominated the project. It is not my contract and Wike has the documents of the contract. He has said that he will not take the case to EFCC because if he takes the case to EFCC, EFCC will not arrest me. But, the case he made against Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, he wrote over 50 petitions to EFCC. He published it on the newspaper. He went on the radio and was telling lies all over the country. So, what is stopping him from going back to go and embarrass himself before Nigerians. Let him bring the documents that he has. Even if EFCC will not arrest me, at least, Bodo people will read them and know that he is telling the truth. I challenge him to produce the documents he is talking about”.
Abe buttressed that Wike was playing on the intelligence of the Ogoni people, citing a case of a project started by Amaechi’s administration in Ikwerre land similar to the challenge of the Kpopie-Bodo road, which was completed by Gov. Wike without making a noise.
“In his own village, Rumukprikom, there was a similar road that cost more than twenty times the cost of this particular road that was similarly uncompleted at the time he became governor. That contract was given to an Ikwerre son in his village. Wike became governor and he did not hold any press conference on that road. He quietly called the contractor, settled with him and paid him. That road is the road from Wimpey to Rumuluomeni. Has it not been completed? Who completed it? Wike. He called the contractor who is his brother and paid him and finish the road. But, he wants to come and finish a road in Ogoni, in Gokana; he must bring his SSG and embarrass him in front of his village people before he will do a small road for them. Is that how to be a governor?”
Abe said Wike should stop talking about his love for Ogoni people and specifically say that his problem is Magnus Abe.
He further stated that the so-called love was a deceit as he had never treated Ogoni people in his administration fairly and sincerely given them the project that is of utmost importance to them.
“As we speak now, Wike is talking about his love for the Ogoni. But even the Bodo son that is with him, Kenneth Kobani, he has no love for him. I was Secretary to the Government; there is no way my governor will come to my village and will not enter my house; it is not possible. My governor cannot come to my village twice as Secretary to government and will not enter my house. It can never happen. Even as a commissioner, it will not happen. But Wike has been to Bodo two times. Kobani, your son has renovated his house but his governor cannot step his foot inside his house to show his people that he has love for him and he listens to him. What kind of governor is that? A governor that will embarrass you in front of your people? So, Wike’s government is a one man show”.
“If you go to Bori, two years ago, the Students Union in the Polytechnic check off dues was N16 million. Today, under Gov. Wike, the thing has fallen to less than N3 million. Half of the houses in Bori are empty. Nobody is inside them. All because of Gov. Wike and yet he wants to tell us he loves Ogoni people. If he loves Ogoni people, let him put it into practice”.
“Wike knows what the Ogoni people are looking for. He knows what we want. Just as Rt. Hon. Amaechi and President Buhari identified the clean up as something important to the heart of the Ogoni man and they came and did it. Today, does Buhari need to stand on television to say he loves Ogoni people? He doesn’t. The whole world knows that he loves Ogoni people”.
“If road is something he wants to do, there are several roads that are equally deserving of attention in the district. The other day, we were in Andoni LGA, the whole Unity road is falling apart. But, I have not heard him say that Tele Ikuru took money that is why the road is not done. He has not gone there to go and talk about the road. But he is in Gokana, talking about Kpopie-Bodo road. So, the entire venture to me; to most people; to the discerning public, is smacks of same stop-Senator Abe-by-all-means campaign that almost threw this land into an inferno. Let me say here to Gov. Wike and indeed to anybody who cares to listen that Senator Magnus Abe, as far as this particular election is concerned, is unstoppable. They cannot stop me”.
The former Secretary to the Rivers State Government said he chose to visit Bodo community because Wike had challenged him to a contest that if his people love him (Abe) that he should come and address them there in the community.
Abe said that he not only visited the community but addressed them in their town square and expressed appreciation to the people for their large turnout within few hours of notice.
“Gov. Wike came to Bodo community and he stood at the junction, on the road in the community and was making speeches on national television. He paid for live television to come and carry what he would say in Bodo and he said that if I want to respond to him, I should come to the same place where he is talking and tell my own truth from there. But Nyesom Wike is an Ikwerre man and I am an Ogoni man. I know that in Ogoni land when we have something serious to say, we don’t say it from the road junction. We come to the town square. So, Wike cannot come to Gokana and tell me where I will stand to address my people. I will tell him where we stand to address our people and that is why I am in the town square of Bodo community and this is where I will speak from”.
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