Rivers State governor-elect, Barr Nyesom Wike, has accused the outgoing Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, of frustrating all efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful and seamless transfer of power in the state. He made this known through his transition committee.
The committee expressed disappointment that Governor Amaechi had refused to constitute a transition committee to interface with the one set up by Wike to ensure a smooth transfer of power on May 29.
Secretary of Wike’s Transition Committee, Hon. Frank Owhor, who informed newsmen on the development at the weekend in Port Harcourt alleged that the governor was playing double-standards on the issue of transition.
His words, “In the current democratic dispensation, the federal government led by President Goodluck Jonathan has already set up a transition committee. President-elect, Mohammed Buhari, has also set up his transition committee, which incidentally has Amaechi as a member.
“In many states in the country, especially those in which the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lost to the All Progressives Congress, APC, transition committees have been set up by the respective out-going governments. Special mention must be made of Benue, Niger and Kaduna States,” Owhor noted.
The secretary wondered why Amaechi, who is serving in Buhari’s transition committee, would refuse to set up one in his own state.
According to him, “In recognition of the importance of transition committees in the peaceful and seamless handover of the reins of government from one administration to another, the out-going administration in Rivers State is expected to set up a transition committee made up of officials of the out-going government to interface with members of the in-coming administration’s transition committee.
“Unfortunately, the out-going government of Rivers State led by Amaechi has refused, failed and neglected to set up its transition committee.
“It is ironic and hypocritical and smacks of double standards that the out-going governor, who is a prominent member of the transition committee of the president-elect, has rejected all entreaties for a peaceful transition in the state. This confirms the conflict and contradiction in the character of Amaechi.”
Owhor said efforts of his committee to interface with the state government had been thwarted as letters dispatched to the state government by personal delivery and courier service had been rejected and returned.
“A top ranking officer informed the transition committee that staff were under instruction not to receive any correspondence from the transition committee. Mails dispatched to the governor by electronic mail and also delivered to the secretary to state government are not even acknowledged,” he lamented.
The transition committee secretary while calling on the outgoing administration in the state to act responsibly, said: “The lack of cooperation by the governor and officials of the state government is irresponsible and an embarrassment to the good people of the state.
“The out-going administration has a constitutional, legal, moral and social responsibility to ensure a smooth and orderly transition to the new government.”
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to the claims by Wike’s transition committee, the Chairman of the APC in Rivers, Dr. Davies Ikanya, said it was not compulsory that Amaechi should set a transition committee.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, in a text message, Ikanya said: “Something is wrong with this PDP leadership and their quest for power. Is there any law that makes it compulsory that Amaechi must set up a transition committee and if there is any such law, is Amaechi the only governor in Nigeria that has not set up a transition committee?
“To us, the present PDP leadership apart from being evil and deceitful, it is so engrossed for power that results to its present crying wolf when there is no issue. Wike and his group should wait till May 29 to decide on how they intend to carry their cross and stop disturbing the peace of the Rivers people and resolve on how they intend to come out from the mess they created for themselves,” he said.
