Leloonu Nwibubasa, a PDP leader, claimed that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is intolerant of divergent opinions and is afraid of competition.
In response to Wike’s declaration that he and 27 other state politicians were wanted, the spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State made this clear in a statement on Friday.
It was recalled that Wike on Thursday evening had published a list of 28 politicians who were allegedly preparing to use armed thugs and cult members wearing military and police uniforms to disrupt the governorship and state assembly elections.
Nwibubasa responded, saying Wike’s action has once again demonstrated his fear of rivalry and intolerance for those who disagree with his political stances.
The former Commissioner accused Wike of an attempt to violate his fundamental human rights and that of other supporters of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the state.
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The president’s directive that citizens should be free to freely support any candidate of their choice regardless of political affiliation, he continued, is completely violated by Wike’s action.
The Nigerian police and other security agencies were urged by Nwibubasa not to let the governor use them to settle political scores with his alleged political rivals.
He emphasized that the people whose names appeared in Wike’s broadcast were law-abiding citizens and urged security agencies to keep an eye out for any criminals who might be employed by the same Governor to carry out his plan to rig Saturday’s elections.
“It is unfortunate that Governor Wike has repeatedly shown that he is such a leader that he cannot tolerate opposing views,” the statement reads. And of course, how does Governor Wike know that we don’t have a choice in an election where everyone is legally required to vote for the candidate of their choice?
“By the Governor’s declaration that I and others would be detained and prosecuted on the basis of a very flimsy trump-up allegation, this once more shows us that Governor Wike is a man who shies away from the competition.
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“It makes sense why even local councilors have never been allowed to compete for the position during this Governor’s administration.
But let me be very clear: Governor Wike’s calls for my arrest and the arrest of others are attempts to violate our fundamental rights.
And we are aware that this was done in order to prevent us from casting our votes in the elections on Saturday. However, it is abundantly clear that Governor Wike’s plan has already failed because we will speak up with confidence and vigor and cast our votes for the candidate of our choice without concern for intimidation.
