Rivers State Governor,  Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, has for the umpteenth time, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of taking sides in the dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa States over the ownership of Soku oil wells.

Urges Rivers people to vote out PDP

Amaechi also urged Rivers people to vote out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government in next year’s election to secure their future. 

Amaechi spoke at the weekend in Degema, the headquarters of Degema Local Government Area of the state after inaugurating an 8,000 capacity football stadium complex built by the local government administration. 

The governor said the PDP had nothing to offer Kalabari people, and one way for the people to regain their lost oil wells and benefit from democratic governance was to vote out the PDP. 

  He said Jonathan was taking sides in the Soku oil wells matter, as he narrated the president’s reaction during a meeting with Kalabari chiefs. 
According to Amaechi, “In that meeting before Kalabari chiefs, The president said to us, ‘you people call it Soku, we from Bayelsa State call it Oluasiri’. 

“Is Soku Oluasiri?” he questioned and the people chroused ‘no’. 
“As President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is not supposed to take sides. The moment he said it is called Oluasiri, he is taking sides and we have no faith in the president returning our oil wells.

They have taken the (Soku) oil wells, they are spending the money because they have the presidency. The only way you can get back your oil wells is to vote out the president. The only opportunity you have now is your vote. Vote him out, he is not Rivers, He is from Bayelsa State. He has not and will not serve us and I have said here, let the president tell us what he has done for us.” 

He alleged that his efforts to build Trans-Kalabari road in the state and reconstruct the  Emohua-Abonnema federal road already in deplorable condition was frustrated by Jonathan. 

The governor therefore called on the people to fight for their rights by using their voting strength to correct all anomalies by voting out the ruling PDP. 

Amaerchi continued: “When I was coming here (to Degema), I saw the Emohua-Abonnema road, it’s going bad. When I met the president with Kalabari chiefs and told him: ‘that road is going very bad, if we don’t intervene now, that road will soon be impassable. the president, that road is a federal road’, and he said, he know. And I then asked: ‘Mr. President, can the Rivers State Government reconstruct that road? Because that is the only road by which Kalabari people come out to town’ but the president said no. 

“He told me ‘no’ and said he (federal government) would do it. One year plus, he has not done it. So what you will do to make sure you have a road next year is to vote out PDP. If the president says he is our brother, because I hear Kalabari people say he is our brother, let him do our road, let him return our Soku oil wells.

“I begged him (Jonathan) that the federal government is owing Rivers State N105 billion, he should take N50 billion from there and help me construct Trans-Kalabari road, he said, ‘Amaechi, I will do it’. Three years after, the president has not done it, so he is not a Kalabari man. Don’t follow your buccaneer brothers, who want to be governor and all that and  because of their personal selfish interests, they want to sell the Kalabari kingdom. 

“You are the youths, defend your kingdom. Nobody should take away what belongs to you. The Kalabari people are known to fight for their right. They are people who can stand up to any challenge to protect themselves and their people. One way to defend your kingdom is to vote out those who don’t have your interest at heart.” 

On the stadium that he inaugurated, Amaechi commended Degema Council Chairman, Hon. Ibigoni Pokima, for constructing the state-of-the-art sports complex and named it after the immediate past Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the late Hon. Tonye Harry. 
Earlier, the Degema Council boss, Pokima, said his administration had concentrated on providing democratic dividends to the people of the local government area and thanked Amaechi for his immense support. 

According to him, “Your Excellency, I feel a sense of fulfillment to say that Bakana, Oguruama, Amatamgbolo and Fuche communities have been hooked up to the national grid. Then we thought of coming back to our first dream – engaging and channelling the energy of our youths into meaningful venture other than in restiveness and militancy, hence the vision to build this sports complex.

“As a government, we are gratified that the vision we conceived about three years ago has come to solid fruition. I believe this complex will provide a serene and conducive atmosphere for our people especially our youths to develop and exhibit their sporting prowess.”