Barely four days after Achor Nna, the councillor representing the ward of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, resigned his position to support Governor Siminalayi Fubara, another group of Wike’s supporters have collapsed their structure for the Rivers governor.
The latest to join Fubara’s camp is a group of 12 men who were Local Government Coordinators of Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), a political pressure group that was instrumental in the massive mobilization at the grassroots for the FCT minister while contesting the governorship elections in Rivers State since 2015.
The coordinators represent Ogu/Bolo, Port Harcourt City, Opobo/Nkoro, Gokana, Bonny, Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Oyigbo, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru and Obio/Akpor local government area where the Wike comes from.
The former coordinator in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Collins Onunwo, who led the delegation to the Governor at the Government House in Port Harcourt, said they decided to resign their leadership positions in GDI to protect, defend, and promote the interest of Rivers State and its people.
Onunwo, who was a former caretaker chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA, said the group has no option but to support Fubara, having freely given their votes and mandate to him, a decision that has been affirmed by the Supreme Court.
He pledged the determination and dedication of the former GDI coordinators to the success of the policies and programmes of the present administration.
“We want the public, Rivers people, and all Nigerians to know that GDI is the group founded by the former governor and now Federal Capital Territory Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike. That group brought him to power in 2015 and supported his ambition in 2019. That group is his strength,” he said.
“But today, we and our supporters have decided we are no longer members of GDI. The reason is simple: we want to be with Rivers people. Rivers’ interest is paramount. In 2012, GDI’s interest was to protect, defend, and promote our brother-in-law, President Goodluck Jonathan, because of our mother and sister, Dame Patience Jonathan; and it yielded good dividends to the state.
“Through that struggle, our brother, Chief Nyesom Wike, became governor in 2015; and in 2019, when Abuja politicians said he will not return for a second tenure, we all rallied around him and defended our votes, and he served for eight years.
“Today, Rivers’ interest is to protect our votes that brought in Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Executive Governor of Rivers State in the most credible, fair, and violence-free election. We have come to join millions of Rivers women, youths, elders, and other well-meaning people who insist that we must protect our votes to sustain democracy. Our concern is that we voted for PDP and Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and we must protect that mandate with all we have”.
He further cautioned those fighting against the Chief of Staff, Government House, Dr Edison Ehie, to retrace their steps, or prepare to face the wrath of Rivers youths, women, and elders.
Also speaking, former Public Relations Officer of GDI ACF, Christian Abu, said that the simple message is that the ex-GDI coordinators just resigned to get Simplified, clarifying that GDI has been the vehicle and political structure for the successes recorded in the previous elections in the state.
Abu said, “Getting Simplified means that the strategies, movement, and vehicle that always conveyed electoral successes to the previous administrations have brought the same support to the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
“Our support for him today is total, and unwavering. We are committed and dedicated to his victory and mandate. We had sleepless nights to achieve this victory, and we have come to protect the mandate freely given to Sir Siminalayi Fubara under the platform of the PDP,” he added.
At the meeting were the State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Chijioke Ihunwo; and Special Adviser to the Governor on Power, Solomon Abel-Eke; among others.
