The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has formally inaugurated a 600-member Governorship Campaign Council in Port Harcourt, vowing to dismantle godfatherism and what it terms the abandonment of governance in the state.
The 600-man council is chaired by Senator Andrew Uchendu, with Hon. Chimbiko Akarolo serving as the Director-General.
Both work under the overall authority of the state party leadership led by State Chairman Chief (Dr.) Chukwudi Dimkpa.
Addressing members of the council during the inauguration in Port Harcourt, Monday, Dimkpa charged members of the council to discharge their duties with utmost sense of responsibility.
He said: “Having duly presented the leadership, directorates, departments, and membership of the River States 2027 Governorship Campaign Council, and acting in my capacity as the state chairman of the ADC River States, I hereby formally inaugurate the campaign council.
“I charge every member to discharge his or her responsibilities faithfully, diligently, and in accordance with the constitution of our party, the approved terms of reference, and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Dimkpa, who officially handed the responsibility of the governorship campaign of the party in the state to the team, enjoined the council to work in unity and be result driven.
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He said: “I now formally hand over the responsibility for the coordination and execution of our governorship campaign to the campaign council under the leadership of distinguished Senator Andrew Uchendu as chairman and Honorable Chimbiko Akarolo as Director-General, subject to the overall authority and policy direction of the state party leadership.”
“I expect this council to operate as one united, disciplined, and result-oriented team. By this declaration, the River States ADC 2027 Campaign Council is hereby formally inaugurated.”
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Campaign Council, Sen. Andrew Uchendu, regretted that some political elites in the state had converted the state to a battlefield, noting that the party would rescue the state from such grip.
Uchendu alleged that governance in the state has been abandoned, stressing that the administration of Sir Siminalayi Fubara has failed the state.
He said ADC was interested in stabilising leadership in the state, adding that the party wants a situation where the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary would carry out their responsibilities independently.
Uchendu noted that the state was not created for one man to own or control, regretting that recent political crisis had wrecked damage on the state.
He said: “While Godfathers wage private wars of ego in Abuja and Port Harcourt, governance in Rivers State has been completely abandoned. An elected government has been decapitated by legislative rascality. Healthcare has collapsed.
“Hospital bills by previous administrations have been left to rot, leaving ordinary mothers and infants without access to basic medicine. Schools are abandoned. Our children sit on the floor.
“While neighbouring states build for the future, our state is paralyzed by executive/legislative drama and Godfatherism. Our state is rich, but our people are poor. We produce oil that feeds the nation, but we have no light, no good roads, no clean water.
“This administration has failed, and will continue to fail. For four years going, we lost the state, the sovereignty of the state. And we have been told that we will lose another four years. God forbid.”
Uchendu said the task ahead is that the party must rescue the state from the grip of Godfatherism, urging members of the council to take the rescue message of ADC to the units and ward and local government areas of the state.
He also declared that the party would be focused on non-violent and issue-based campaign, adding that every vote in the forthcoming election must count.
He said, “That is why ADC is here. We want a state where the legislature will do their work, the executive will do their work, the judiciary will do their work. On behalf of the people, not on behalf of themselves.
“Our task is clear. We must rescue what we have before, that has been lost. We must recover and rebuild our state for ourselves and our children yet more.
“And take it to where we believe it should be. Our task is very clear. Take our rescue message to all the 23 local government areas of River State.
“Run an issue-based campaign. Non-violent campaign. Unite all tribes. We are one people. We will need to unite our people and fight as a common front. And therefore, run a government that is fair, inclusive.”
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