.){kind=link}
Governor Nyesom Wike on Saturday charged embattled Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, to return the mandate he got on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike at the inauguration of the Eastern Bypass Road project in Port Harcourt, said it was unfortunate that instead of appealing judgment of the court which sacked him, Umahi made a reckless attack against the judge.
“Look at a governor making a reckless statement simply because a judge made a judgement according to his own opinion, which you are entitled to appeal up to Supreme Court.
“You have called somebody a thief in the market and you’re saying I’m sorry, It is late. That your sorry, we the members of the public, we don’t take it”, the Rivers governor stated.
Noting the Umahi case as the first time in Nigeria’s political history that the defection of a governor to another party was being contested in court, Wike said PDP’s resolve to challenge Umahi and other Ebonyi defectors elected on the party’s platform is a clear example of what is required to strengthen democracy.
He said, “If our party has done this earlier when people were leaving in the National Assembly, we won’t have had the problem we are having today.
“That is one of the problems of party leadership. People cannot come out and take the bull by the horns. So, Governor Umahi, be rest assured that PDP will continue this matter down to Supreme Court. We will continue with the matter.
“You carry the votes of another party and join another party. Can you transfer votes? You work hard for somebody to win election and tomorrow, the person says I have defected.
“If you have defected, leave the seat if you know it’s easy. And this will checkmate most of these political harlots who will never sit one place.
“This is the thing I am talking about impunity. I was watching when a deputy governor was ranting in the media, threatening the party that there is an alternative to PDP.
“This is the same deputy governor who knelt down to beg for us to give them umbrella. Today, he has the effrontery to threaten PDP.”
The governor lashed the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for not honouring the agreement of contributing 50 per cent of the cost of the construction of the Eastern Bypass Road that leads to its corporate headquarters office in Port Harcourt.
Inauguration the road project, former Governor of Kogi State, Idris Ibrahim, as Special Guest noted with delight the untiring delivery of projects by Governor Wike virtually in all sectors in order to provide quality living to Rivers people.
According to him, such measure of service in public office is evidence of transparency and accountability because the people can see how public resources are deployed for the good of all residents.