The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign has expressed gratitude to the people of Okrika Local Government Area for turning up en mass to the governorship campaign rally today.
The rally had earlier been aborted on two occasions. Okrika is the home Local Government of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and former warlord, Chief Ateke Tom.
The Gubernatorial Candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside was said to have pulled an unprecedented crowd at the rally which was held at the National School field Okrika.
However, today’s rally was held amidst multiple explosions and shootings which destroyed parts of the school buildings, though, according to the party leadership, it did not affect the turnout of party faithful, including PDP decampees, who joined in shouting and singing the name of Dakuku.
Dakuku Peterside sang and danced with the people in what was termed by some of those that attended the rally as a victory dance over the powers of darkness.
Upon arrival in Okrika, Dr. Peterside first visited Government Secondary School Okirika, where he had his secondary school education, before hitting the venue of the rally.
In his address to the people of Okrika before the rally was allegedly disrupted by the PDP hoodlums with explosives and assorted sophisticated guns, Dr. Peterside assured them that if he elected, he will liberate them from the hands of the agents of darkness that have held them hostage all these years.
Peterside said that no amount of intimidation will deter APC from forming the next government in Rivers State even as he made it clear that he is out to serve the people of the State and will not look back even if the struggle will cost him his life.
“Let the PDP continue to bomb us and we will continue to spread the gospel of peace and love for our State.”
He reassured the people of the State that he will not disappoint them, saying: “Our people are progressives and we are determined to provide leadership and the few unprogressives in our State will not deter us from this divine mandate to liberate our people from evil minded people who are desperate to gain power against the will of our people.”
The APC Guber Candidate introduced his ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ describing it as the best strategy to take Rivers people to the Promised Land where they are destined to be.
Such road part include the empowerment of all Rivers State people, including the non-indigenes “through my Four-Point Agenda titled: ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ for the people of Rivers State.”
He explained that ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ will aim at taking Rivers State to the next level, include Public Sector Accountability and Security of Lives and Properties; Employment Generation and Wealth Creation; Social and Human Capital Development and Empowerment; as well as Institutional and Physical infrastructure Development and Food Security.
Rivers State APC Chairman, Dr. Ikanya Ibiamu, condemned the unwarranted attacks on party faithful, which made it impossible for the party to hold the rally before now.
He described PDP as a dying party which is clinging at everything, including promoting insecurity.
“With the success of the Okrika rally not minding the explosions and shooting to scare our people away from the rally ground, we have demonstrated character by uniting against the evil and darkness pervading our State. We heartily thank the great Okrika people for turning out en masse to welcome their Governor, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. Darkness cannot be allowed to prevail over light. We are happy that by this rally, the First Lady, Dame Jonathan Patience, whatever she stands for, is destroyed and demystified. We are proud of the Okrika people and we are assured that they will demonstrate this during the election proper so that collectively we ensure that those threatening our lives will not succeed in their evil plots against our State.
“Rivers APC unreservedly condemns the continuing resort to violence by a desperate Peoples Democratic Party, which, having seen the handwriting on the wall of its imminent defeat during the polls, is bent on making Rivers State ungovernable. Let the world see how PDP intends to ruin our economy by promoting insecurity in our State but God will surely protect us from all this madness. We urge the entire world not only to condemn this act of violence by the PDP Leadership but intervene by calling those behind these unwarranted attacks on our party faithful to order.”
The party asked the security people to fish out all those behind the incident which sought to disrupt the party’s rally.
APC acknowledged with sadness, that one of the policemen at the Okirika rally who was hit by the gun men’s bullet has just died in a hospital in Port Hacourt, the state capital. [myad]
