What is playing out in Rivers State is very obvious, simple to understand and rather unfortunate. Having lost at the polls, lost at the court, and lost at the polls again, they want our state to be ungovernable. STATE OF EMERGENCY.
As a people, we're confronted with a situation where a few people have vowed to make our state restless until they take it over. As a direct participant in the process, I've seen a lot. I'll discuss a few from my own perspective, not because I want to be partisan, but because I feel Rivers people should know where they stand at all times.
BEFORE 2015 ELECTIONS
We were all here, when the former Governor of Rivers State Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi served his first term as Governor. At the end of his first term, his popularity soared beyond imagination, and indeed there was no need for anyone to have contested with him. He was loved by all, even me. In fact, during his second term election, I took a two-week vacation, went home to work to ensure his victory. But that was it. Many distractions came.
When the second term began, even my APC friends agree with me that Rotimi involved himself in too many needless fights and projects. Almost every project he began could not be completed, and he was at war with almost every one. The President, The First Lady, Commissioner of Police, Minister of Finance, Minister of Aviation, L.G.A Chairmen, etc. Even the strongest man on earth doesn't need too many enemies. Personally, I try not to keep too many enemies. If I have my way, I won't have even one, but you see, there are certain people you can't just help but keep at bay.
The former Governor got into many dirty fights, and while outsiders and haters of Goodluck saw a hero in him, here at home, his popularity was dwindling rapidly. Some saw him as a traitor, some saw him as arrogant, same saw him as playing God. People had their reservations.
While Amaechi was battling his many battles, and "globetrotting" locally, making many new friends outside the state, indeed more friends outside, building his own power bloc, Nyesom Wike was digging deep.
Wike understands politics. He eats politics, drinks politics, sleeps politics and sees far. He believes in grassroot and will always remind you that a day will come when Nigerians will not be able to rig anymore.
Wike worked his way really deep. He identified the real politicians and strong men in every local government and went after them. He wooed them in different ways, and almost all he wooed came. He leveraged on Amaechi's many shortcomings and used them to his advantage. So, while Amaechi was Ascending externally, cruising in his Private jet with his new friends like El-rufai and the rest, wike was developing strong tap roots.
When the Presidential elections came, we gave it our all, but unfortunately, Goodluck lost, President Buhari won. This was another one. Amaechi revelled and basked in the euphoria of this victory. It was heaven for him.
While a lot of people were broken, beaten and sorrowing, wallowing in despair over Goodluck's defeat, there was Wike, using it to his advantage again.
He went round telling Rivers people to chase Judas away. Amaechi had betrayed our brother, so he was Judas. Now, the average Rivers man does not dwell on his political leaning, when Goodluck was concerned. To them, having been born to the old Rivers State, and lived all his life in rivers State, Goodluck was their brother. So, you could tell them about Gubernatorial candidates, National and State Assembly candidates, but not Presidential, no go there.
So, Wike's popularity grew in geometric proportions. Even the APC knew Wike would win the Governorship. Consultants hired by the APC to carry out an opinion poll also turned in their reports, which was negative for Dakuku and positive for Wike.
Before the elections, when the APC saw that all odds were against them, they tried hard to postpone the elections, so it would be conducted after President Buhari had been sworn in, but it didn't work. Again they resorted to violence. Cause mayhem, cause a lot of violence and ensure the elections did not hold... But PDP was smart. They knew they would win, so they resisted every temptation to respond to violent attacks from APC. In some LGAs however, the people were not that patient, so responded to violent attacks and there were casualties.
In my LGA, Asari-Toru L.G.A., the Eve of the election was not funny. There were rapid gunshots until the army took charge and chased the shooters away. We had gathered that their plan was to burn INEC offices and RAC centers, so elections won't hold. Well, we made adequate security arrangements, or so we thought.
The INEC staff, having gotten this information
, acted smart and changed the location of the materials. On the morning of the elections, the RAC center was burnt down, and the APC thought they had burnt all the Electoral materials. They jubilated and ran to the press to announce that materials had been burnt and elections won't hold. They were shocked when INEC distributed materials and elections held.
Wike was declared Governor and the government formed. This was to the anger and pain of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who had vowed that over his dead body will Wike be Governor of Rivers State.
AFTER THE 2015 ELECTIONS
Amaechi was largely ridiculed by his counterparts from other states, who are part of his new power bloc. He was accused that he could not deliver his state, and that almost cost him his ministerial appointment. His ego had been badly bruised and he had to find a way to mend it. He defended himself, he said Wike rigged him out with the backing he got from his "Federal might". He said if he was given the opportunity again, he would prove himself and show his popularity. So, he went to court.
He got lucky at the court with many of the House of Assembly seats, but not so lucky with the Governor. Wike survived the tsunami.
THE RIVERS RE-RUN
The re-rerun elections meant two things to brother Rotimi. First, he needed to show the world that he was still popular in Rivers State. He is on ground, and of course still the "Lion of Ubima" as his people call him. He needed to prove to Mr. President that he had the grassroot. Secondly, he needed to get as many seats as possible in the State Assembly, with which he could comfortably impeach Governor Wike... So he came at Wike with force, Serious Federal might.
Amaechi was disappointed when he came. He saw that his people had been lieing to him. He saw that they were not on ground. The low turnout in the few rallies they organized was more than enough to tell him all he needed to know. In fact, a senatorial district rally in etche had to be converted to a "senatorial district town hall meeting" because of low turnout. The lion was angry, but this was war to him, and it was fight to finish.
Amaechi threatened to use federal might to chase Wike and his people into their hiding places. In fact in one of his interviews with a radio station, he bragged that Wike acted like a lion when he had federal might, now he Amaechi will act like a dog, because he now has federal might too. He said he would flood the streets of Rivers State with thousands of Soldiers and numerous personnel drawn from from other security agencies. Indeed he did.
Wike knew this was a big challenge. He called his people together. He galvanised them. He gave them courage. He told them never to be afraid of federal might. He emphasised "you can't RIG where you're not popular". Rivers PDP was ready.
When the elections came, they were shocked by what they saw. They saw people who were not afraid of the military. They saw people who told the army to their face that they had no business at the polling units. There were a few casualties as a result of this boldness, but their voices were loud enough.
Elections passed, PDP triumphed, Wike triumphed, but it is not over. There a few more seats to be wrestled, and that is not all. Amaechi is still fighting. STATE OF EMERGENCY!!!
THE former Governor RT. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi is fighting hard to create a narrative of violence in Rivers State. He has created the impression that you can not walk freely on any Street of Port Harcourt without being shot at, killed or maimed. He he has created the impression that guns are now sold at super markets and Port Harcourt, and an angry husband can just dash across the road, quickly purchase one AK47, get back home, shoot his wife and auction the gun to his neighbours.
They are painting Rivers State in bad light, probably because they have found other homes. Those of us here must protect the image of our dear state. We have no other state. This is not Wike's war, this is a battle to save our state.
Don't think they will stop. Their narrative of violence is getting weak. Nigerians are begging to see the lies. Nigerians are beginning to see deeper than they had. They will up their game now. They will engineer a lot of violence. They will try to cause mayhem and put it on the headlines. They have the press. They have bought the press. They have lost their conscience.
While PDP continues to campaign in preparation for the rescheduled elections, you will not find them anywhere. They will be planning to cause havoc like they did last week. When they are done, they will run to the Press and the President and say, "you see what we told you? Declare state of emergency now". But their plans will fail. They will fail again. There is a God that rules over the affairs of men.
Enemi Alabo George
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