Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, had stated on Thursday, November 6, 2014 that he was never part of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, rigging exercises during elections while he was a member of the party.
The chairman of Governor’s Forum and currently the leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, admitted that PDP rigged most of elections but he was never part of the exercise as those other members of the PDP saw him as a different person because he did not conform to them.
According to Amaechi, his achievements and progressive efforts in the state could only be sustained if the people vote for the APC candidates in the 2015 elections.
“People have confronted me in different fora that all these things that you have done, how are we sure that they can be sustained and I said the only way you can sustain them is to make sure that you vote for somebody that comes from the party that I come from because that party will run the same programmes as I have ran.
“An example is that all of you who have followed me will know that I am quite different from the normal PDP person. When I was in the PDP, they saw me as a different person all together because I never stood with them on a lot of issues, including rigging.”
Speaking with newsmen at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday, November 6, 2014 the governor charged journalists to ask the PDP if he had ever supported rigging.
“You can ask them; you can ask the PDP if I supported rigging. Before you wake up and go to the place (election venue), I have finished. As a people’s governor, we insist that the people’s mandate is critical and it is important. I don’t know what the PDP does when it comes to voting; I don’t participate; I don’t know what they do. But I assure you that this time, our votes must count.”
“Even those who are in PDP too; it is important for all of us to go and collect our voter cards. And for those who have not registered, there are some wards or units that their names were either omitted or wrongly written, they should also get registered afresh,” he said.
Amaechi also stressed on the need for the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission neutrally execute fairness and transparency to ensure that the 2015 poll was conducted freely and fairly.
“INEC said they are conducting continuous registration and collation of the permanent voter cards in seven out of the 23 local government areas in the state due to technical problem. We sympathise with INEC and we join them to pray that they will quickly find solutions to their problems.
“In my unit in Ubima, the names of some of those who had earlier registered were not seen in the voter’s register. We expect INEC to register them again. We look forward to a fresh registration anywhere such problems are noticed,” Amaechi said.
