Description

The battle for the votes of people from the south-east (SE) is raging in Rivers State as the governorship election drags near.

This could be linked to massive votes that went to Labour Party which came second in the state with 175, 071 with only 56,000 votes below Wike’s choice, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Those against Wike’s interest in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 88,603 votes for Atiku Abubakar. Analysts say the combined votes of LP and PDP believed to be people against Wike’s interest could overtake the 231,591 votes Tinubu got for the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he supported in the presidential election. The LP and PDP votes could get to 364,000 whereas the APC or Wike-induced total votes were 231, 591.

With this trend and numbers, attention has since shifted to SE or Igbo votes in Rivers State.

Governor Wike was first to act by summoning a closed-door meeting with ‘Igbo leaders’ in the Government House in Port Harcourt. Though no statement was issued after it, different accounts have occupied social media, some saying the governor threatened them, others said he entreated them.

Former governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, followed on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, with address at a townhall meeting held in Oyigbo LGA of the state. At the meeting, the Ubima-born English Language and Law graduate said Igbos should know that he is Ikwerre and that Ikwerre are Igbo.

He said any Ikwerre man that denied his Igbo roots was being insincere. “My name is Amaechi and Chibuike; what is the meaning?”

He also revealed to them that Tonye Cole’s mother is Anambra, meaning he is a grandson.

At the end of the meeting, all trade leaders endorsed Cole of the APC and resolved to go swiftly back to summon meeting of all trade groups and tell them what to do.

The next morning, a pro-Wike group, the Rivers State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) led by Chijioke Ihunwo, mounted a summit at the Polo Club in the GRA 1 area of the Garden City.

There, several speakers and academics as well as historians made stirring speeches reminding the youths about the dreams of their founding fathers.

The chairman of the event, Tony Okocha, regarded as Wike’s strongest supporter at the moment, quoting Franz Fanon, a revolutionist, said every generation has a vision; you either uphold it or betray it.

Asking the youths to ponder over and find out what the vision of the founding fathers were, Okocha wondered if the dreams of the founding fathers of the state were that the people become economically subservient to any race, nationality in the midst of plenty.