Gov. Nyesom Wike budgeted the sum of N15bn as security votes in the Rivers 2016 budget, and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has said it is the reason why the governor “killed and maimed his way to power as Rivers State Governor.”

The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, said it has become clear to it and other Rivers people why Nyesom Wike killed and maimed his way to power as Rivers State Governor.

The APC noted that the revelation is coming to light as information now revealed that the governor allocated a whopping N15 billion to himself as security vote in the 2016 state budget. 

The curiosity of the APC according to a statement signed by its State Chairman, Chief  Davies Ibiamu Ikanya today was aroused when months after the budget was passed, it was tightly kept out of the reach or sight of Rivers people. 

“The APC had to repeatedly make public its observation that Gov. Nyesom Wike deliberately concealed the details of the 2016 budget that was passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly [RSHA] for dubious reasons until a few days ago when a concerned former member of the RSHA leaked the budget details to the APC. 

“Prior to now, we have repeatedly warned that all the showboating of hard work Gov. Nyesom Wike is selling to gullible Rivers people is mere dummy and facade to steal the people blind while pretending to be working for their interest. We would have been surprised if the situation was different given the known antecedents of Chief Nyesom Wike as Obio/Akpor Council Chairman, Chief of Staff to former Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and as Minister for Education. 

“It is now obvious why Nyesom Wike defied every known principle and decency in his quest for power. He ignored his predecessor’s desire to rotate power to another Senatorial Zone; Wike clobbered, intimidated, beat and maimed his own PDP members to forcefully take the party’s governorship ticket for himself; he traded off good conscience and got the buy-in of criminals to kill and maim the people and in exchange gave them tickets to the RSHA all in his bid to become governor of Rivers State. Even when his sham election was annulled, Wike did every unthinkable and unmentionable thing under the sun to get victory at the Supreme Court.   

“It is pertinent to remind Rivers people that under Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as governor of Rivers State, the highest annual security vote was N3b spread through the year or N250m per month. Now, Gov. Wike has decided to award himself N15b annual or N1.25b monthly security vote. We believe that the difference is very obvious to the people at this point. In the months and years to come, Rivers people will realise that they have not only ended up in a ONE CHANCE BUS but are indeed in a ONE CHANCE BUS LADEN WITH IEDs and  heading for a crash. 

“The APC will carefully and critically scrutinize the 2016 Rivers State Budget in great detail and make public areas of concern in the budget in the interest of Rivers people.”