Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has applauded Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, describing the gathering of traditional rulers, political leaders, sons and daughters of Ikwerre extraction in Rivers State on 13th January 2018 at Isiokpo to celebrate the conferment of chieftaincy title on the Minister as unprecedented and monumental.

The party in a statement on Monday issued by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, SSA Media and Public Affairs Consultant to the APC Rivers State Chairman, Dr. Ibiamu Davies Ikanya, explained that the event organised by the Ikwerre Youth Movement (IYM), the foremost socio-cultural organisation in Ikwerre land was to solemnise the Chieftaincy title earlier conferred on Amaechi by the Ikwerre Traditional Rulers abiding by all the traditional rites of the ancient Ikwerre heritage as Eze Ochi Alari 1 of Ikwereland, which means the person who stands tall to take on and ward off any challenge in a family or community. The title is also interpreted to mean ‘The Redeemer of His People’ (Ikwerre) or ‘The Wise Defender of the Ikwerre Kingdom’.

The event unprecedented in recent time in the annals of social and political gathering in Rivers State commenced with 21 traditional gun shots to welcome Amaechi and over a million of persons from Ikwerre the largest ethnic group in Rivers State with friends and supporters to accord honour to this great son of Nigeria and to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for the honour done to their son and leader of Rivers State politics.

“The Organisers through the President General of Ikwerre Youths Movement (IYM) and one of the greatest grass-root mobilisers from Rivers State, Hon. Azubuike Chikere Wanjoku expressed their profound gratitude to President Buhari for assisting their son to demonstrate to the entire world the stuff he is made of as a great leader in the mould of Zik Awo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Sir Ahmadu Bello.”

The statement further described Amaechi as “the Eze Ochi Aliri 1 of Ikwerre land, a breaker of records stating that the Holy Bible as reflected in the gospel of Mark 6:4, ‘A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family’ (New Living Translation) but Amaechi with the event of today has dusted this truism with the millions of Ikwerre sons and daughters his brethren agreeing as one people to honour him for his sterling and outstanding inputs towards the emancipation of the Ikwerre people and for becoming a great Iroko and one of the pillars through which the politics of Nigeria currently rotates.

“With this title and recognition Amaechi becomes the most influential Ikwerre man on planet earth.

“Chief Amaechi stands out as the only Nigerian that was a Speaker of a State House of Assembly for eight years, Chairman of the Speakers’ Forum of Nigeria, Governor of Rivers State for eight years and two term Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and most historically led an opposition political party to unseat a sitting President in Nigeria.”

The party explained that, “Today, Chief Amaechi is not only changing the face of transportation in Nigeria as the Minister of Transportation but stands out as one of the key and influential member of President Buhari’ s political team. He is referred to in some quarters as the Lion of Niger Delta Politics, this great son of Rivers State has been reappointed to lead APC to victory come 2019 as the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council. No son of Rivers State has achieved such feats to warrant his ethnic tribe to have so honoured him in this manner.

“Not minding that the incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike is of the Ikwerre extraction the Ikwerre people at the event pleaded with the Eze Ochi Aliri 1 of Ikwerre to ‘please, introduce the APC candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election and 2019 shall be a walk over as Wike has proved what it means not to be a Governor’.

“Overwhelmed by the mammoth crowd that attended the event coupled with the resolution by the Ikwerre people to honour Amaechi and to elect an APC candidate by 2019, Governor Wike was so irked to a boiling point that he immediately ordered the sack of three of the caretaker Committee Chairmen of Ikwerre extraction for not scuttling the reception. The sacked Chairmen that incurred the wrath of Gov. Wike were that of Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt and Ikwerre. The Emouha Chairman was spared the sack hammer as he made attempt to scuttle the event but his attempt could not make any impact as the reception was held without any hitch. It is based on this development that the party blasted Gov. Wike for this childish move of sacking these men forgotten that 75% of those in his cabinet were all Amaechi's product including himself as sacking them will not save him from the woes that await him come 2019.

“Without mincing words, the party highlighted that Ikwerre ethnic group comprising of Port Harcourt and three other Local Government Areas of the state is the largest ethnic group in Rivers State and most importantly one of the major deciding factors on who becomes the River State Governor come 2019.”

To the Ikwerre Youth Movement, “Amaechi is our liberator. He is the man who broke the shackles of political timidity and wrenched the chains of economic naivety in our domain. This colossus of a man brought political freedom to our very doorsteps and we will henceforth stand by him in all his political calculations.

“The elated and excited Amaechi who expressed his appreciation reiterated that ‘if anybody on earth says I have sat with him at any meeting to plan how to kill someone, that person should step forward. I swear before God and those of you here, 90% of those who benefitted from Scholarships under me, I never knew them. President Muhammadu Buhari will ensure that the 2019 elections will be free and fair. I urge all our people to register and obtain their Voters’ Cards to enable them to exercise their franchise as the 2019 elections, especially the governorship, are our last battle. If we win, we will take over Rivers State. If we lose in the election, we will go home and rest. We will not impose any candidate. Anybody who will go for any position, like chairmanship, should go for primaries. Anybody who wins will be the party’s candidate. The President said that there would be no rigging during the 2019 elections. It is to our advantage.

“As Ikwerre people, we must give out the power to other ethnic nationalities. But we will be in a position to take it back at any time. Your future is in your hands.

“The party expressed their unflinching gratitude to all Rivers State people that attended the event including our amiable State Chairman, Chief Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the Director General of NIMASA and the gubernatorial candidate of the party in 2015 with his running mate, Hon. Honourable Asita. Chief Victor Giadom, Engr. Ngerebara Sampson, Lauretta Onochie, SA to President Muhammadu Buhari, Hon. Leyii Kwanee former Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Fred Mbombo Igwe, Hon. Tolofari George former Commissioner for Transport in Rivers State, the hardworking Party Secretary, Chief Emeka Bekee, Akpo Bari Celestine one of the best brains from Ogoni, Chief Oby Ndukwe and countless other leaders that witnessed the event,” the statement reads.

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