The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has moved to fashion out strategies to be used to vanquish the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 elections. The Rivers APC Contact Committee led by Hon. Dr. Dakuku Peterside met with the leadership of the Non Indigenes Political Forum (NIPF) yesterday in this regard.

The meeting, which took place in Port Harcourt, the state capital, was the highlight of a sensitisation tour involving three other committees earlier set up by Rivers APC in her strategic move to ensure that the party wins the 2015 polls convincingly. The other committees are Mobilisation, with Hon. Chidiebere Okwu Worlu as Chairman; Voters Education, with Hon. Mrs. Victoria Wobo Nyeche as Chairman; and Monitoring, with Hon. Dr. Dawari George as Chairman.

The event started with the formal admission of the 622 non indigenes that decamped to APC from PDP. Alhaji Ali Kwande led the 250 northerner-decampees, Chief Nwadiegwu Sunday led 222 Igbo decampees, Chief Adebayo Olayiwola brought 100 Yorubas, with Chief Akpan Saviour concluding the list with 50 South-South decampees. According to Alhaji Kwande, who spoke on behalf of the decampees, “We are leaving PDP after observing that the party does not mean well for Rivers State with its attraction to violence that will not augur well for us to carry out our business activities peacefully besides we are all Rivers State indigenes having lived in Rivers State all our lives considering that no other Governor that have governed Rivers State have accepted us the way Governor Amaechi has done we have no other home than wherever he stays. This is why we are joining APC en mass.”

The decampees were warmly welcomed by Hon. Dr. Peterside, who represents Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and serves as the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream). He commended them for taking the bold step, assuring them that they did not join the party late as they are now joint owners/founders of APC in Rivers State. “I encourage each one of you to move a step further by obtaining your APC membership card and the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) as that is the only means through which we can collectively save our State from the evil plots of PDP to take the State back to its dark years of insecurity,” Hon. Dr. Peterside said.

He explained that the mission of APC in Rivers State is not only to ensure good governance and erase corruption but also to ensure that the populist programmes of Governor Chibuike Amaechi are sustained. Hon. Dr. Peterside told the NIPF members: “To show his seriousness towards the non indigenes in Rivers State, Governor Amaechi appointed one of you into the State Executive Council, Barr. Chuma Chinye, as the Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Chief Ade Adeogun as Sole Administrator of the Waste Management Authority, with other sensitive offices offered to non indigenes. Apart from all these, the Governor created the Non Indigenes Unit as the 24th Local Government Area of the State unprecedented in the annals of our nation to ensure that the benefits accruable to Rivers State indigenes are also accruable to non indigenes in Rivers State. With such a government that caters for each of you in this form, it is your duty to ensure that such a government is encouraged and motivated to do more by obtaining membership card and, most importantly, the Permanent Voters Card that INEC will start to issue in the State from 7th November, 2014.”

Responding, NIPF Cordinator, Chief Uchenna Okokoba, assured of their readiness to fully mobilise their members and the entire Rivers State to support the mission of APC in the State. He declared that NIPF members have no other party to support except APC, saying: “Governor Amaechi has proven that he is a true brother to non indigenes in Rivers State that apart from appointing most of us into key offices, he has ensured that our children benefit from the free education and the free medical services in the State.” Okokoba assured the Peterside-led team of the unflinching support of members towards ensuring that APC forms the next government in Rivers State in 2015.

Hon. Chidiebere Okwu Worlu, Chairman of Mobilisation Committee, in his remarks described APC as a party set up by God to ensure justice, equity and fair-play in Rivers State polity. He said it is based on this that the party has decided to zone its gubernatorial position outside the Ikwere nationality as it would be criminal and injustice to other sections of the state for Governor Amaechi, who is from Ikwerre, to rule the State for eight years and for another Ikwerre son to rule for another eight years as being planned by PDP. “With this, any vote for PDP is a vote for injustice and support of evil against the State,” Hon. Okwawoh said. He concluded by admonishing all and sundry to join hands in order to demolish the evil machinations of PDP.

Other speakers all agreed that Rivers State does not have any future in PDP seeing what the state has allegedly suffered under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. Hon. Barr. Chuma Chinye, the Leader of the Non Indigenes in Rivers State, and Chief Ade Adeogun in their speeches assured the conveners of the meeting that NIPF members will do everything humanly possible to achieve the aim of APC in Rivers State.

Other APC leaders in Rivers who graced the event include Rt. Hon. Stephen Ezekwem, former Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly; Chief Alex Weli, the leader of RIVLEAF; Mrs. Victoria Wobo Nyechi; Hon. Dawari George; Chief Dr Mike Nwieligahi; Enamellist Carol Nagbo, the APC Women Leader; while Barr. Nnamdi Wuche, the Mayor of Port Harcourt, led the CTC Chairmen of Ikwerre (Barr. Nwabueze), Etche (Hon. Reginald Okwuoma), among other party leaders, to the event.

Among NIPF leaders that attended the event were, Chief Williams Ubeka, leading the South East; Chief Barr. Obinna JK Chukwu, the Legal Adviser; Alhaji Ali Kwande, leading the North Central; Alh. Halhiwe Imam, leading the Core North; Sir Daniel Ogungbo, leading the South West; as well as Chief Joseph Ijede and Chief Joseph Udoh, leading the South-South. Others were Chief Simeon Nwanye, Chief S.M. Obi, and Alh. Sulimen Husaimi.

•Photo shows Dakuku Peterside.

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