Rivers 2023: Eze Slams Wike over Alleged Moves to Disqualify Other Candidates
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has criticised the state Gov., Nyesom Wike for attempting to stifle other political aspirants in the state.
Eze said the legal ambush and witch-hunt by the Governor and his party against other political parties in Rivers State was clearly to deny them of participating in the 2023 elections in a bid to give Wike’s unsellable candidate a free ride to power.
The APC stalwart added that the move has exposed the cowardice of the Governor and his party who are afraid of going into a free and fair contest with other candidates and parties.
In a statement released to media on Monday, Eze said: “What the world should know about Rivers State Politics and how Governor Nyesom Wike has retained power in Rivers State since 2015 is that there has not been any proper democratic or free electoral contest since 2015 in Rivers State to test the true relevance of Wike.
“His fear for proper and free electoral contest has always lured him to ensure that every strong opposition to his misguided governance of the State is quashed or dismantled. He did it in 2015 and by 2019 he perfected it by ensuring through the help of his stooge, Senator Magnus Abe and others that the APC is stopped from fielding candidates and contesting the 2019 general elections.”
“Sadly, he has adopted similar unholy tactics to see if he can stop other political parties from participating or contesting the 2023 general elections.” the statement said.
“Gov. Wike started manifesting his evil intention by alleging a case of misappropriation of State Funds by the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in order to stop Pastor Tonye Cole, the APC Flag-Bearer for the 2023 general elections from contesting, knowing very well that no Rivers State funds was either misappropriated or misplaced as the said funds were not only captured in the 2014 budget of the State but were also duly paid into the account of the State Government.
“The noise over this in order to demean or destroy the credibility of Pastor Tonye Cole is a clear exercise in futility as it is the arrogance and ignorance of Governor Wike that is on trial and not Amaechi or Pastor Cole.
“As if his trial of Tonye Cole was not enough, Gov. Wike has gone ahead to seek the disqualification of the Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party and Accord party, ” the statement noted.
According to report that has gone viral, “the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has instituted a suit seeking the disqualification of Accord Party, and the Social Democratic Party SDP governorship and other candidates from the 2023 election in Rivers State. Also joined in the suit is the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
PDP had in the suit asked the court to disqualify Dumo Lulu Briggs, the governorship candidate of Accord Party, and Maurice Pronen of SDP in the 2023 general elections for alleged non-compliance with the new Electoral Act by their parties during their various primaries.
In the suit filed before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt PDP also asked the Court to compel INEC not to recognize candidates of both parties for the National Assembly positions also over alleged violation of Electoral Act, 2022.
Before now, Tonye Cole, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the founder of Sahara Energy Limited and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former governor and the immediate past Minister of Transportation have been dragged before a High Court on criminal charges on the allegations of illegal sale of state assets by the Rivers State Government.
Eze said, “It was believed that the suit was aimed at stopping APC from participating in the 2023 election.”
“As we aware that all these plots is to pave an easy way for the election of the unpopular and unacceptable candidature of Mr. Sim Fubara whom Wike want to impose on the State in order to protect the massive looting and misuse of Rivers State patrimony under his watch, ” Eze added.
