By: Felix Ikpotor
Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the March 2023 elections in Rivers State, Chief Beatrice Itubo has stated that she ventured into the race because of the sufferings of workers in the state.
She said her desire was to put smiles on the face of the civil servants and give them and the state good governance.
Itubo who spoke when a group, the New Dimension for Rivers State paid her a solidarity visit, said the former administration of Nyesom Wike as governor of the state was nonchalant about the plight of workers.
She explained further that her grouse with Wike was on workers related issues and nothing personal.
“I contested 2023 elections not because I actually wanted to show myself to Rivers people. We have been in the struggle for a very longtime and when the immediate past governor of Rivers State came onboard, I saw something different. I saw real hatred for the workers of Rivers State because for somebody to be in power for eight years and didn’t promote any worker in Rivers State, he didn’t pay any pensioner gratuity, people were retiring and going home and when they want to key them into the monthly pension they will leave them for about two years before keying them in and the rest of the time they wasted, nobody is talking about them as arrears.
“I told the governor then as chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state that pensioners are dying in their droves. For somebody who has worked over the years, from their young age to their old age and very vulnerable to diseases and suddenly you stopped salaries that they have been used to all this period so what do you want them to do and he told me that they should go and die, so I felt so bad from that day. That’s why when people think I’m antagonistic to Nyesom Wike, No! We don’t have anything aside these workers issues and I had the mandate of the workers to represent them and so you couldn’t have expected me to keep quiet when the workers are suffering, when the pensioners are suffering. Along the line, me too I became a pensioner, so if I had kept quiet when I entered too who would speak for me?
“So that was why after much consultation we decided to go into the race hoping that when we win, we can show them that those things we are asking for is very possible and implementable and if not for the way they did, we won that election and I make bold to say that anywhere,” Itubo said .
The former Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, chairperson in Rivers State stated that she withdrew her case against Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the Supreme Court in the interest of peace in the state and urged other gladiators in the political crisis to sheathe their swords and allow peace reign in the state.
“I withdrew my case in the Supreme Court because of the situation in Rivers State right now. I don’t want to be one of those fueling the crisis for there is no price that’s too big for peace to reign and based on that I decided to put a stop to it so that we can have peace in Rivers State and that’s exactly why I was calling on other stakeholders, all the gladiators to sheathe their swords, they were friends before now so they should be able to manage their relationship,” she said.
She particularly called on former governor and now Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike to allow Fubara to govern the state in peace.
“In a situation whereby you have handed over to someone, allow the person to rule and the person will recognize you as the person who made him or her. Most of us don’t read history, if we are history students we will know that no empire last forever, no kingdom last forever, no king reigns forever so the only reasonable thing to do is that when you have finished yours, allow the other person and he will recognize you, only one person will be a governor at one time and since it has pleased God that he should be there, let us also allow him to lead and the state should move forward,” Itubo added.
She posited that her resolve to work with Governor Siminalayi Fubara is for the good of the state.
“Sincerely, we have agreed to work with the government and anything that we can do to proffer solution and move the state forward because my ultimate interest is the good of this state and we will continue to pursue that,” the LP guber candidate said.
Earlier, leader of the New Dimension for Rivers State, Barrister Vincent Chuku commended Itubo for throwing her weight behind Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The group also condemned attempts by some lawmakers to remove the governor from office.
“We are here to identify with Chief Beatrice Itubo as a great political pillar in Rivers State and to thank her for throwing her weight behind Sir Siminialayi Fubara, pledging to work with him for good governance and for the dividend of democracy to flow to Rivers people. We are in tandem with her believe.
“We are also here to garner support for Sir Siminialayi Fubara, we support the developmental and peace move by the governor and we condemn any act to remove Governor Fubara from office,” he said.
