Increase your community voters’ registration or lose govt. recognition, Wike threatens traditional rulers

The governor of Rivers State, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has threatened that any traditional ruler whose number of registered voters failed to increase after the forthcoming voters registration exercise would lose his recognition by the state government.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by government-recognized Ikwerre traditional rulers led by Eze Blessing Wagor at the Government House, in Port Harcourt, on Friday, Governor Wike said that the voters’ registration was vital to the promotion of democracy.

The Rivers State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, therefore, directed traditional rulers across the state to mobilize their people for the voters registration exercise coming up next Monday, April 10, 2016, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

He said mobilization for the voters’ registration transcended party affiliation, hence, traditional rulers must be involved.
“Go and mobilize your people for the voters’ registration exercise. Any community where the numbers of its registered voters fails to improve will have the recognition of its traditional ruler withdrawn. This has nothing to do with party politics. It is necessary because it will be used for development purposes,” he said.

The governor charged the traditional rulers not be involved in partisan politics as it would negatively affect them and directed local government councils to build meeting halls for traditional rulers in their respective areas.

In his address earlier, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Government Recognized Traditional Rulers, Eze Blessing Wagor (Nye-Weli Isiokpo) lauded Governor Wike for his outstanding achievements since assuming office.

Eze Wagor said that the development projects of the administration which cut across the state have led to the people feeling the impact of government, adding, “From the performance of the governor, it is obvious that the people of Rivers State did not make a mistake by electing Governor Wike.”

The Chairman described Governor Wike as an eminent ambassador of the Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality who has lived up to the expectation of the people.