Governor Wike governance style not dictatorial, says Rivers PDP chairman

By Amaka Agbu

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has countered insinuations that the Governor of the state, Nyesome Wike, was dictatorial in his style of governance.

Chairman of the PDP in Rivers State, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, made this clarification at the weekend on Rhythm FM news when he appeared on its current affairs programme, View Point.

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Dismissing the allegation as total falsehood, Ambassador Akawor said that Gov. Wike had been open and transparent in all his transactions as governor of Rivers State.

The ambassador said during the programme that the party had not endorsed anyone for the local government elections coming up next year, contrary to rumours being peddled that the governor and party officials had allocated positions ahead of the elections.

He stated that that all aspirants to positions in next year’s local government elections had equal rights to participate in the polls without fear of discrimination or favour.

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In another development, two former commissioners in the state under the Wike administration, Ibinabo Michael-West and Dr. John Bazia, had fired back at Governor Nyesom Wike, for describing them as political neophytes and men of slippery characters after they dumped the PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor had also described the defectors as disgruntled elements, alleging that they siphoned funds from the coffers of the state.

Former Transport Commissioner, Michael-West, challenged Gov. Wike to prove his allegations against them. He said: “I challenge the governor of Rivers State to provide the individual account I used in collecting revenue and also list names of the companies that paid in the money to the accounts and the tellers within 24-hours for Rivers and Nigerians to see.

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Otherwise, I am going to consult my lawyers and they will take an appropriate step. “The account where revenues were paid in when I was commissioner was nominated by the chairman of the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue in Heritage Bank.”

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Speaking also on Wave FM in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Dr. John Bazia, who also served as Wike’s Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, said the governor’s allegations lacked credibility.

Dr. Bazia said: “Look at the house he (Wike) is building in his community, it is like a whole community on its own.

Where did he get the money from? And he has the audacity to say people are thieves. Who is a thief here?”