Use loots recovered by EFCC for 2019 elections, Gov Wike advises

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has advised the federal government to make use of the several funds recovered by the EFCC in recent times in conducting the 2019 general elections.

He also stated that for the country to have a free, fair election in 2019, that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must employ the services of card readers totally.

He said if the card readers fail to function at any place, that election in such a place should be postponed to a later time when the card readers are properly fixed.

The governor stated this at a rally where he received members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt.

He said, “If they want Nigeria to have free and fair elections, card readers should be used and if the card reader fails, they should postpone elections to the next day in that area. Let it be card reader all through.
“They should invest all the recovered money by EFCC to conduct credible elections. INEC can make card readers fail and use Police to rig the elections.”

While he assured the new members of the party of good relationship and treatment, Wike emphasised that Rivers remains a total PDP state and that no level of propaganda by the APC would change the people’s acceptance of PDP as their only party.

He ridiculed the ruling APC’s failure to fulfill promises it made to Nigerians since assuming power two years ago.

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Prince Uche Secondus, former PDP acting national chairman who also spoke at the occasion, claimed that APC has collapsed in the state and the nation at large with the infighting between the executive and the legislature.

He further called on the EFCC, to declare the owner of the $43 million recovered in Ikoyi, Lagos State, arguing that the money belonged to Rivers State.

“I believe that money that was found in Ikoyi belong to Rivers State. Ibrahim Magu should announce the owner and return it to Rivers State,” he said.

Former Rivers State governor and current Minister of Transport, Rotimi Ameachi, has been allegedly linked to the ownership of the money.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has claimed that the stories of decampees to the PDP is a scam put together to corner money from the state’s coffers.

According to the party, “all manner of persons are hired and assembled to pose as APC decampees in return for huge pay outs by Gov. Nyesom Wike to Chief Glory Emeh. Several buses were earlier today sent to various LGAs in Rivers State including neighbouring states of Abia and Imo to ferry down hirelings who will claim to defect from APC to PDP at an event to be lavishly covered by local and national media”.

The Rivers APC further stated that ordinarily, “it would have shrugged off the self-delusionary and pedestrian propaganda woven around the drama. However, the APC takes very serious the criminal aspect of the exercise which includes the unlawful printing of APC membership cards and other paraphernalia which are being distributed to the hirelings with a view to acting out their pre-meditated Nollywood-type scenes to convince the media and the general public that bearers of such items are truly APC members defecting to the PDP”.

 

 

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