The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged a plot by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pull down President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and weaken the ruling APC. The party, in a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt, fingered the state chapter of the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike as leaders of the plot using their unrelenting campaign against the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as a ploy.

The statement signed by Rivers APC Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, disclosed that, in the latest manifestation of the plot, Wike and the Rivers State Government paid a whopping $1.5 million to a movie producer to produce and syndicate fabricated video clips on how Amaechi and the Rivers Commissioner of Police purportedly planned to rig the December 10 rerun legislative elections in the state. The party said that such a rigging plot exists only in the demented mind of Wike and other Rivers PDP leaders.

It described “the desperation of the factionalised PDP to demonise and bring down Amaechi as callous, vindictive, wicked, diversionary and betraying the party’s morbid fear of Amaechi. This is one of the ploys by corrupt PDP and enemies of President Buhari to undermine his Administration while also weakening and destroying APC before the 2019 general elections,” Rivers APC said.

According to the party, “To achieve this sinister agenda against Buhari and APC, Wike, Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senate Minority Leader, (Godswill) Akpabio, and their collaborators have collaborated in sponsoring various attacks and casting aspersion on the person and integrity of Amaechi to ensure that he does not play a pivotal role in the 2019 general elections.

“We are also aware of the fact that Wike and PDP are desperate to pull down Amaechi so as to ensure that our expected impact during the forthcoming Rivers legislative rerun elections is reduced to the barest minimum. The third reason is that by reducing the influence of Amaechi and ridiculing him, the target of destroying APC and the Presidency of Buhari would be easily achieved.”

Continuing, Rivers APC said: “This latest plot after all the past failed attempts to destroy, diminish and tarnish the image of Amaechi, the Rivers State Police Commissioner, INEC and APC as a party is to demonstrate how Wike and PDP are not ready for this rerun election and have to resort to blackmail as a way of escape for the defeat that awaits him and his party come December 10.

“This latest plot hatched in Wike’s office at the Rivers State Government House was to contract a popular movie producer in the Nollywood industry to assemble different clips of the Transport Minister at different times saying things as someone negotiating a price with some people. The idea was to project the Minister where he was asking the Judges to pervert justice. But that was later abandoned when the affected Judges were contacted.

“The two embattled Supreme Court Judges were said to have vehemently opposed the idea as that may backfire against them, considering that they should have long submitted the video evidence to the former CJN or the DSS in order to prove their innocence. Having backtracked on that plan, the governor’s hatchet men and spin doctors who were worried that they may be asked to refund the money approved to them for the purpose then suggested the idea of implicating the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Odesanya, and the top echelon of the Police in the state.

“The video of a meeting between party Chieftains of APC will be aired with someone speaking in the CP’s voice, purportedly showing them discussing plans on how to rig the forthcoming rerun elections. We wish to alert the general public to watch out as a concocted video clip aimed at throwing mud at the Police boss in Rivers State is set to be uploaded on different platforms including YouTube. Let us reiterate that these unwarranted satanic attacks by PDP and their agents are an exercise in futility as we have explicit confidence in Amaechi and his efforts to assist to move our party and nation forward.”

The party thanked President Buhari for seeing through the plot by Wike and PDP and continuing to repose confidence in Amaechi.

“Wike and PDP should be ashamed of themselves. Let them leave Amaechi alone and concentrate their efforts of rescuing their drowning party as APC and, indeed Nigerians, wish to have a virile opposition – not one which is perpetually factionalised and relentlessly pursuing doomed plots against a man whose destiny they can never alter,” the statement said.

•Photo shows Ikanya.

Update news