A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has described the election of Nyesom Wike as Governor of the state in 2015 as a sham, charade, tragic and unfortunate.

Eze, a former National Spokesperson of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), was an ally of Wike when the latter served as Chief of Staff to former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

He declared Monday in a statement that had there been no internal sabotage, APC would not have lost the 2015 gubernatorial election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Eze stressed that APC lost to internal sabotage and wrangling within its fold orchestrated by some chieftains of the party who conspired with external foes to undermine the chances of APC during the gubernatorial election. According to him, the sabotage was contrived to pave way for Senator Magnus Abe to contest the 2019 gubernatorial election using the platform of APC.

Eze, in the statement he personally signed and circulated to media organisations, maintained that “not minding that Wike used security agencies and militants during the 2015 general elections to intimidate the electorate and the opposition political parties as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to influence the outcome of the election to his favour, had Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Wilson Ake, Chief Allwell Onyesoh, Elder Chidi Wihioka, Hon. Barry Mpigi, Chief Tony Okocha, “great party stalwarts and Commanders at their various political enclaves”, and others not named, played their parts to support the party and march Wike with all his tricks, Governor Wike would have by now be singing a different song in the politics of Rivers State.”

Eze reiterated that if not for the internal sabotage against Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who was the gubernatorial candidate of APC during the 2015 general elections, there was "no way a candidate like Wike would have defeated a shining star of Rivers State politics like Peterside in a free and fair election as the difference between the two great sons of Rivers State is very glaring and outstanding."

Chief Eze argued that with Wike no longer calling the shots for security agencies, militants and INEC, his chances of winning the 2019 governorship election in Rivers State are zero if he dares to contest.

He opined that other ethnic groups in the state can no more tolerate the domination of governance in the state by the Ikwerre ethnic group. Eze noted that there is anger across Rivers State that while other ethnic groups had yet to test the governor’s seat, the Ikwerre would have held the office for consecutive 16 years should Wike be allowed to do another four years.

“It is also on record that since the advancement of democracy from 1999 till date nobody from the riverine area of the state had been elected as a governor despite the area's enormous economic contributions to the state coffers,” he said.

In strengthening his argument for a governor of riverine extraction, Eze explained that the upland section of the state has occupied the governorship seat of the State since 1999 till date. He named Dr. Peter Odili, who governed from 1999 to 2007, being 8 years, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from 2007 to 2015, another 8years, and current holder, Wike, 2015 to 2019, being 4years.

“The total comes to 20 years of unbroken grip on the office by the upland area. It will be the greatest wickedness and injustice against the riverine area should any of the political parties’ fields a candidate from the upland against the riverine area of the state again come 2019,” he stated.

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