Chief Emeka Beke, All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretary-General in Rivers State, has said the Ikwerre are supporting the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, to avoid being misunderstood in future by other parts of state.

Beke was speaking Thursday during an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt. He revealed that apart from the unprecedented endorsement of Peterside by the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Traditional Rulers in Isiokpo a few months ago, Ikwerre leaders are also speaking openly in favour of the APC candidate so as not to be perceived as greedy and unfeeling.

According to the APC scribe, the Ikwerre are working for Peterside and the APC because the people are naturally fair-minded, hospitable and conscious of the future.

Beke, an Ikwerre, described Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the out-going governor of Rivers State, as an exemplary Ikwerre leader, insisting that the rest of Rivers State will judge the Ikwerre ethnic nationality tomorrow by their actions today. He described as heartless and objectionable, any attempt by the Ikwerre or any other part of Rivers State to support another candidate of Ikwerre extraction after Amaechi has served as governor for eight years.

According to Beke, “Every Rivers man and woman today believe that fair-play and equity should take place in this governorship election. The Ikwerre ethnic nationality had eight uninterrupted years in the office of the governor. We think our brother in the Riverine area should have the same opportunity to also serve as governor of the state.

“Becoming governor of a state should not be a do or die affair. That is why we in APC condemn in very strong terms, this wanton killing of our supporters. This is not our style of democracy. We stand for justice, equity and fair-play and let the people choose who becomes governor of Rivers State. But PDP has been killing our members and supporters. This last one was our core supporter in Onelga who was killed some days ago with some members of his immediate family.

“Everybody and the family in particular have been pointing accusing fingers at the PDP state chairman, Felix Obuah, as the culprit. Obuah has been accused severally as the man behind the killing of APC members. One thing we are sure of is that we will win this election. But Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, our governor, has promised that a commission of enquiry will look into these senseless killings to avoid a repeat.

“We want to send this message across to our brothers and sisters in Rivers State. Nobody should use you for violence. Anybody who wants to use anybody for violence should use his or her children first. We stand for freedom of choice and association and we want to win election by persuasion, not by intimidation.

•Photo shows Dakuku Peterside.

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