For a while now, the former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has been silent in the political scene, the man who basically handed over the mantle of Leadership to incumbent Governor Rotimi Amaechi to emerge governor of the state.
Odili, in Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, at a campaign rally for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Nyesom Wike, says that he regretted working for Amaechi who has now defected to the All Progressives Congress.
He explained that but for the quick intervention of a former Minister of State for Education and PDP governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, the party would have gone into oblivion. He also alleged that Governor Amaechi dismantled structures that the founding fathers of the PDP had in the state when he assumed office.
He said: “We thought we did the right thing by supporting Amaechi to become the governor of the state. We left a united state. We also left a united party. PDP was one. Rivers State is PDP. There was no other party in Rivers State. Whatever the party hierarchy said would happen, that was what happened. The secretary is here to confirm what I am telling you here today.
“With all the best intentions, we supported his political career and ambition. We thought we did what was best for the state. As you know, until a man has power and has money, you don’t really know him, but that is a story for the future. One thing is clear, we have accepted our mistake and we are determined to correct it in 2015.
“Who would have thought that a governor who won an election on the platform of the PDP would decamp with the mandate of the party to another party? Who would have thought that a governor elected on the platform of the PDP would abandon the PDP to join an opposition party?
“The elders of the party who are here can corroborate what I am saying here today. We ran a cohesive party. We had respect for the elders of the party. We had respect for party members. No one attempted to hijack the PDP because the party was bigger than anyone no matter his or her position. Party officials were respected because the party was run from the secretariat which was home to all members of the party
“I want to thank the governorship candidate of the PDP for the 2015 governorship election and the next governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for miraculously rescuing the party from disintegration and working tirelessly to unite the members of the party. God will bless you.
“By the special grace of God, in February, we are going to the polls. The first election is to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. The second election will be the governorship election where our candidate, Wike, will emerge as the next governor of Rivers State.”
Good comment Dr Odili, when you were the governor of Rivers what are the achievement the state recorded that are still standing and beneficial to citizens of Rivers state.