Rivers governorship race: Chibudom Nwuche deals blow to Wike

Rivers governorship race: Chibudom Nwuche deals blow to Wike

Thursday, April 9, 2015 8:05 pm


•Nyesom Wike: campaign suffers setback with Nwuche's defection

•Nyesom Wike: campaign suffers setback with Nwuche’s defection

The governorship ambition of Chief Nyesom Wike in Rivers State has been dealt a big blow with the defection to the All Progressives Congress by former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Prince Chibudom Nwuche.

Nwuche said he has endorsed the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Dr Dakuku Peterside.

Nwuche, an Ikwerre like Wike and Governor Rotimi Amaechi announced his resignation from the party in a letter dated March 29, and addressed to the party’s national chairman Adamu Mu’azu.

His campaign manager Chief Kroham Joel said the former lawmaker is moving with his supporters to the APC to ensure victory for Peterside in Saturday’s polls.

The former deputy speaker has been a loyalist of President Goodluck Jonathan and hails from the same area with Rivers PDP’s governorship candidate Nyesom Wike.

•Dakuku Peterside: a boost from Nwuche

•Dakuku Peterside: a boost from Nwuche

Nwuche said he had watched with dismay the party’s descent into cabalism and god-fatherism as certain individuals became practical owners of the party’s structures and ensured that many persons with capacity and integrity had no opportunity to serve and remained shut out of governance.

He said “most respected pioneer leaders and founding fathers of the party such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Barnabas Gemade amongst others who were natural rallying points for the party were marginalized and have since left the party on account of these injustices.”

He lamented that as a consequence of the insincerity and corruption on the part of the party’s leadership, the primaries process “became an avenue for needless bloodletting and acrimony amongst party members in a jungle battle of survival of the anointed.”

“Violence and corruption is often transferred to the main elections in the attempt by the party to impose un-popular candidates on the masses,” he said.

Nwuche said he has been a serial victim of this injustice in the party where his peoples’ wish to have him represent them at the senate has been frustrated twice in spite of his enormous popularity in his senatorial zone and state as a whole, and even after winning the primaries.

“I have consistently delivered my unit, ward, local government areas and my ethnic nationality in every election since 1999, unlike many high ranking party and government officials in the PDP. Also, my people’s desire for me to serve at other levels have suffered set-backs on account of individuals who felt I challenged them on their style of governance when they were Governors many years ago,” he said.

“In all this, party leaders have not been able to stand up in defence of the truth and in support of the representational nature of democracies. They have instead, allowed these injustices in the pursuit of their selfish ambition to maintain their positions. In this way the party has lost its soul. These leaders have in turn lost the moral authority to provide guidance or control for even those they have nominated or appointed”, he insisted,” the former lawmaker said.

*From reports by Daily Trust


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4 Comments

  • bo sunny says:

    Defectors are traitors and unstable. They should be carefully watched and monitored. Politicians should build a strong opposition to keep the party in power on their toes to perform! If they don’t, we vote them out

  • Godson says:

    What a yellow belly. Running to the wining side. Instead of you to stand your ground and help rebuild a stronge opposition party you defect to protect your personal interest.

  • AKINDE ADELEKE says:

    GOOD LEADER NWUCHE.MAY THIS COUNTRY SEE MORE OF YOU

  • kiza says:

    Nwuche too bad….why are you defecting now; it doesnt seem to be the right time. I respect you alot; but for running over to APC because they have won the presidential election isnt good for your towering image; Sir, tomorrow is pregnant! lets see how it all play out

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