20th May, 2019
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
he Chuibike Amaechi-led Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has denied given Governor Nyesom Wike pre-conditions for accepting the olive branch he offered during his broadcast.
The party said no such pre-conditions were issued in whatever form, publicly or privately requested the completion of projects by the previous administration as pre-condition for accepting the olive branch offered by the Governor in his broadcast.
The party in a statement signed by Chris Finebone,the Publicity Secretary said:”For the avoidance of doubt, we stand by the suggestions made through distinguished Senator Andrew Uchendu at a Press Conference as the way out of the present state of insecurity our dear State is wallowing in.”
The party said that it has no doubt that “if the Wike government had not abandoned, but improved upon the security architecture put on ground by the Amaechi administration, including the C4i infrastructure; if the various human capital development projects and programmes such as foreign scholarships were not abandoned/discontinued but continued, and consolidated upon by the Wike government; if the various projects such as RSSDA, Songhai Farm, Banana Farm, Buguma Fish Farm and many others that provided employment for our people were not abandoned or destroyed by the present government; the present killings and large-scale insecurity would have been stamped out or, at least, stemmed significantly.
“We believe that the widespread hopelessness and despondency bedevilling our youths is, to a high degree, the cause of the present insecurity pervading our land.”
“Rather than the APC give pre-conditions, it is the governor that has given the acceptance of his olive branch as a pre-condition for taking definite, concrete and altruistic steps to ensure political harmony in the State. We accepted the olive branch in the belief that such political harmony will engender peace, security and development in the State.
“The inaction following our acceptance and the recent twist of facts by the Governor tend to confirm the cynicism of some APC members who questioned the sincerity of the offer,” he added.
The party assured the people of Rivers State and Nigerians that it would continue to exercise utmost restraint in conversations and actions, regardless of the seeming public flip-flops by the Governor.