The former Minister of Transportation and erstwhile Governor of Rivers State, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has stepped up campaign for Mr. Tonye Cole, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr. Amaechi urged voters in Rivers State to only vote a person of character and one who has the fear of God as Governor of the State. According to him, that person is
Amaechi made the call on Thursday when he visited traders and artisans in Elekahia mechanic village, Ikoku, Ojoto, Okija and others parts of Diobu, where they all testified of his passion and achievements during his time as Governor of the State.
The traders pledged their support for the APC candidate, Tonye Cole, stating that lessons have been learnt from their experiences under the current leadership of the PDP in Rivers State.
Addressing the automobile dealers and technicians at Elekahia Mechanic Village, Amaechi said, “don’t let a politician buy your conscience. Once they buy your conscience, they leave you. Vote for the right person who will remember you.
“With my knowledge of Tonye, he will keep to his promise. He will not abuse you or your parents. Those are not issues of governance. Governance is a serious job, that’s why a governor is called ‘his excellency.’ For you to be called Excellency, you must be an excellent man all round. An excellent man is honest.
“So go and put your vote for APC and protect your votes. In the previous election, they told us vote and go home, it will be uploaded, the next thing, they told us the BVAS failed. This time, whether it fails or not, we will be there. The reason why you need to be there is, your life depends on who becomes governor of Rivers State, because you live here and do business here, so you have a right to choose who that person is.
“I say to you again, any man who has no shame and does not have the fear of God, don’t vote for them. Tonye Cole has the fear of God. Vote for him,” Amaechi said.
In Ikoku, he told the spare parts dealers, “Remember I was to build a flyover here, but I said to you, I would not do it until I build another place where you can stay comfortably. The reason why I said that was because, I was your neighbour, I lived at Chigbu street, I schooled at Sacred Heart Secondary school, Azikiwe. So I know poverty, I know what it is that most of you are going through. Some of you are millionaires, but majority of you are like me who passed through suffering. I knew that chasing you out of Ikoku without a proper alternative was wickedness, so I cancelled that project (the proposed flyover) until we finished. We acquired land between Oyigbo and Eleme, 90 hectares. We were to do road, water, light, build houses for you to live, build primary and secondary schools for your children, and give you your shops. But the current government didn’t continue with it.
“The problem with the masses is that tomorrow they can still come here and give you money to vote for them, you collect. Once you collect, it means they have paid you and they will close. They can still come here and knock your shops down, you won’t do anything, because they have paid you. But if you refuse to collect and vote for the party that will change these things, then your future will be assured. If you vote for APC, give us six months to one year, that place will be ready.
He further advised voters to protect their votes on election day. “After voting, don’t go home. If you vote for the APC candidate, be rest assured that things will change. Tonye’s mother is Ikoku, therefore I doubt that Tonye will ignore you. I know he will not fail, but you must also trust us by saying to them, I must vote for this candidate.”
Amaechi also walked through the popular trading areas of Ojoto, Okija and other areas around the D/Line-Dioubu axis, canvassing votes for the Rivers State APC governorship candidate.
