There’s nothing like political expediency in Rivers politics – Amadi

APC governorship candidate, Prince Tonye Cole

A staunch member of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nkechi Amadi has charged the people of the state to be wary of buying into the deception around the political expediency being promoted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to justify its recent adoption of the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Saturday’s elections.

On the sidelines of the round-off of the party’s campaigns on Wednesday in the state, Amadi said: “Dear Rivers people, they have come again bandying ‘political expediency’ as the strategy to continue their mis-governance and mis-appropriation of our commonwealth. Listen to me, do not fall for their deceits’’.

Amadi said that what is expedient is the “liberation of Rivers people from the shackles of mis-governance from an administration that has in the past seven-and-a-half years ruled Rivers people as though they are lesser humans with lesser stake in their own state; from traditional rulers to market women and business owners; to the civil service; young entrepreneurs; school children; and the entire gamut of the state. The current administration has spared no segment of the populace in unleashing its archetype brutality on Rivers people who blindly trusted them with their valued electoral right in 2015.

“Rivers people entrusted them with our sacred political rights in 2015 but what we have been rewarded with is despicable hardship, divide and rule never witnessed before in the history of governance in our state.

“Over the last seven-and-a-half years, what our state has consistently experienced is a sour experience of the anachronistic fiefdom of the ruling party. Yes, they built flyover bridges borne out the necessity to justify the refunds by the Federal Government due to our state from the projects executed during the immediate past administration of His Excellency, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration. But the level of destruction to existing bridges of friendship and harmony amongst Rivers people that used to define our unity as well as fostered prosperity in our multi-ethnic richness in human and natural resources has been grossly polarized if not totally exterminated.

“Before now, this administration has always as a matter of political intolerance promoted the narrative that the APC-led Federal Government that they did not support in 2015 and 2019 was the cause of everything bad in Nigeria and our state. So, why the sudden adjustment?

“Today, the story is different, and we know better. Not only have this administration been in secret cahoots with the APC, but they are all now running helter-skelter to shamelessly take refuge for political survival under the broom of the presidential candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC having realised that their worn out umbrella cannot truly provide the refuge they need for such a stormy weather like this guaranty their safety. Such a sneaky, hypocritical lot!

“With the sudden realization that time has since changed from when it was so convenient for them to emerge on the scene of political leadership not through popularity but simply being aided by compromises of the porous electoral system of yore where ballot box snatching, writing of results and stuffing of illegal balloting was the order then to a new order when the BVAS and the peoples will will reign supreme, they have suddenly become jittery.

“Imagine the hypocrisy of daring to beg Rivers people for what they have come to term ‘’political expediency’’, for their survival because they are desperate and recognize the power in our votes reinforced by the will of the people to come out and cast their votes en masse this time, in a reassuring atmosphere that is dismantling the characteristic fear of voter apathy that emboldens them to snatch ballot box and write mischievous election results in cahoots with their collaborating partners. Now, thanks to BVAS, their well-oiled strategy is dead on delivery and buried.

“What political expediency? What political expediency serves a traditional ruler or his people who are constantly threatened with dethronement by the governor of the state to go cast a vote in favour of their tormentor’s candidate? What political expediency serves our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunties who are yet to receive their pensions and gratuities and are laddened with news of irrational donations to non stakeholders outside of our state? What political expediency serves our youths in schools who have been denied or withdrawn from overseas and even local scholarships and refused bursaries these past seven and half years”?

“What about our brothers and sisters in government parastatals such as the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority, TimaRIV, and RSSDA and the likes who have either lost their jobs due to the oppressive policies of this administration or are being owed salaries for years unending? Some have died in the course of this hardship. Some opportune few have fled the country in search of greener pastures.

“What political expediency can justify the dilapidated and sorry conditions of state-owned and established facilities such as our State Secretariat, Buguma Fish Farm, Songhai farms or Syringe factory? What political expediency justifies over 29 per cent of unemployment, poor health care, and lack of job creation in the past seven and half years?

“It is now very clear to the blind that after these seven and half years of burgeoning maladministration that the current PDP led administration in Rivers State are everything and worse of what they have consistently accused Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from 2015 till date Amadi opines.

“Therefore, I strongly urge Rivers people to ensure that they use their power of the thumbs well during the coming general elections in the state to vote for the candidates of the APC stalwart appealed”.