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Challenges Amaechi to account for N419bn gas turbine sale, others
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Fubara unveils Chinda as Rainbow Coalition governorship candidate
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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyesom Wike, has declared that Nigerians will not hand over power to those he described as “political gamblers” in 2027.
Wike, who was apparently referring to the vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chibuike Amaechi, and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, enumerated alleged financial malfeasance during Amaechi’s administration as governor, saying Nigerians cannot entrust power to them.
Speaking at the unveiling of candidates of the Rainbow Coalition in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, the FCT Minister accused the former Minister of Transportation of spending N14 billion on mosquito fumigation, N53 billion on the proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital and N419 billion from the sale of the Omoku gas turbine in December 2014.
He said the essence of the coalition across the states was not to cause crisis, but to garner support from various political parties for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
“I have said and let me reiterate that the Rainbow Coalition means no harm, but to bring people of all the various political parties together to support Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Wike said.
According to him, “As the national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party with the support of the National Working Committee, we have agreed that every PDP member in all the states should support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Wike stated that there is no faction in the PDP, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has recognised Abdulrahman Mohammed as the National Chairman of the party.
“So, every PDP member in Imo, Kwara, Gombe, Zamfara, Ogun and every PDP member in every other state must support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
He insisted that there is no other party existing in Rivers State.
“Who wants to rule as president under ADC? It is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. I ran together with him in 2022 presidential primaries. I had known him in 2019. I was one of the biggest sponsors of that presidential election. He is not a man that you can go to the bank with his word. He will tell you one thing in the morning and tell you another thing in the afternoon.
“As bad as Atiku’s ticket is, attaching Rotimi Amaechi as vice, worsens it. It is important to show your report card. Amaechi was governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015. He told us in this state that no resident of Rivers State will suffer any mosquito bite. He paid out $10 million, which is N14 billion, for fumigation.
“He brought down the specialist hospital we had then to build the 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte specialist hospital and paid $39 million (N53 billion), no foundation for that specialist hospital.
“We spent N68 billion for the monorail. No monorail today. We had a gas turbine in Omoku, the former governor sold it in December 2014 at the cost of $308 million, not less than N419 billion. I came in six months after, and what was left was $308,000,” Wike alleged.
Earlier, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, unveiled Hon Kingsley Ogundu Chinda as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Rainbow Coalition and other candidates from the six political parties that make up the coalition.
Fubara warned his supporters not to describe him as the political leader of the state again.
“We are aware we have issues with people who followed me during the crisis calling me their leader. I am no more the leader. My Oga, the General Overseer (GO), is our leader,” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Chinda promised to run an all-inclusive government involving all political parties, religions and tribes.
“We are no more divided in Rivers State. There is no more winner-takes-it-all in Rivers politics. Our number one candidate in Rainbow Coalition is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Of the six parties that collapsed into the coalition, two senatorial seats were allotted to the APC while one went to the PDP.
For the House of Representatives, ten slots were given to the APC, including the Rivers State Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, while the PDP took three slots.
The state Assembly positions were shared between APC and PDP, with the ruling party taking most of the slots.
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