Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has been commended for embarking upon a ‘Meet the People Tour’ of the 23 Local Government Areas of the state with a view to assessing the impact or otherwise his government has made in various communities. The commendation was made by the State Chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which described it as a political masterstroke.

“This is yet another big plus for Governor Amaechi, who already has various remarkable feats to his credit. His decision to embark upon this tour demonstrates that he knows his onions as far as governance is concerned. It is, to say the least, a political masterstroke as it has further endeared him, his administration and the All Progressives Congress to the people of the grassroots,” APC said in a statement issued yesterday in Port Harcourt by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.

The party berated the State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for reading political undertones into the tour, saying that the party’s criticism of the tour smacks of mischief and naivety.

APC said: “Governor Amaechi clearly explained the purpose of the tour, saying, ‘The purpose of my visits to these communities is to bring government closer to the people and discuss ways to ensure more development impact on the grassroots dwellers before the expiration of my tenure in 2015.’ The governor also said, ‘This visit is not for campaign. We are here to discuss what will benefit the people at the grassroots. I am interested in the politics of development.’

“It is therefore mischievous for PDP to allege that the tour is driven by ill-conceived motive and an attempt to intimidate and influence the electorate ahead the 2015 elections. The sinking PDP is being naïve by equating a meet-the-people tour with an attempt to intimidate and influence the electorate even when the time for electoral campaigns is still far away. PDP is simply afraid of its shadows, fully aware of the doom awaiting it in the 2015 elections, having already been rejected by the good people of Rivers State.”

Rather than campaigning through the back door, Governor Amaechi, according to APC, used the tour to present his scorecard and developments invested in the communities visited while allowing the communities to make an input into governance.

“Contrary to the bad politics of PDP that criticised the tour out of ignorance of what governance is all about, the good people of Rivers State are happy with Governor Amaechi for embarking on this tour as it has presented the governor with an opportunity to interact with the leaders of the various communities visited, devoid of any partisan politics as both PDP and other smaller political parties like it in the state also participated in hosting and welcoming the governor to the various communities. PDP should commend the governor instead of unwarranted malicious criticisms which expose the party as lacking in seriousness,” Rivers APC said.

•Photo shows Governor Amaechi.

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