A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Rivers state, Hon. Bernard Mikko, has picked Expression of Interest and nomination forms to contest the governorship primary of the party.
The governorship aspirant also faulted the adoption of one Tonye Cole as the APC governorship consensus candidate in Rivers state by a group loyal to Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi.
Speaking with newsmen after picking the nomination forms at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Wednesday, Hon. Mikko said no consensus has been reached on any aspirant but different groups were free to endorse anybody.
“You know that in politics, before you become an aspirant, you must obtain your nomination forms and the law of building a consensus is clear the parties that are subject to that consenus. Up till this now you know the process, go and check at the party’s Secretariat for those who have paid and those who haven’t paid. I think that will give you a clear indication as to a group of friends, well wishers that sat together and said that they have endorsed someone.
“No endorsement. They can endorse people but no consensus has been reached. Go and find out from the party’s headquarters. It is synonymous with the fact that some friends of a presidential aspirant who calls himself leader. Of course you know that the party hierrachy have said that it is only govenors that are leaders of the party in the states. As claimed that a particular person is leader of the party in the country, gathers his friends and well wishers to endorse him for president, is it going to stand?”
When asked whether it will easy for APC to win Rivers state, the governorship aspirant said: “I am core politician from Rivers state. I am from Ogoni and if you follow the politics of Rivers state you will know what I am talking about. The people will decide on who is going to govern them. We all have track record. So many things led to where things are today and is not going to remain the same.”
Speaking on his vision for Rivers state, the former member of the 4th National Assembly that represented Ogoni people of Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency from 1999-2003 on PDP platform, said: “I have offered myself to be Governor of Rivers State not as a supreme leader of the multi ethnic state with a population of over 5m people, but as a humble servant that will collaborate with the various cadres of traditional, cultural, social and political leadership that will define our collective priorities for the allocation of the resources for development and economic growth.
“My vision for Rivers state is to harness our resources for urgent and balanced development and economic growth, and not the acquisition of power for aggrandizement and brigandage.”
“Our state is largely littoral, with water everywhere but none clean and safe to drink. I will work with you to provide clean, safe and portable water for all; instead of champagne for a few. Our development plan will entail a modest program for security of both life and property, occasioned by the anxieties and schisms created by political campaigns of nonexistence geographical dichotomies, ethnic profiling and racial epithets within an otherwise peaceful and united Rivers people.
“Consequently, we will embark on a rapid centrifugal mass transportation system that will encircle and create a ring road around the entire state, making it possible to travel from your country home to any part of the state within the shortest time or go to work in Port Harcourt within an hour of travelling from your home town. We will also generate adequate electricity supply from our huge natural gas reserve.
“We will rigorously tackle the problem of urban blight, particularly the environmental degradation and the hazardous air pollution that has turned our traditional garden city into an unfortunate garbage city and our natural heritage an endangered ecosystem. The acid rain and black sooth that we are forced to contend with in past few years is a clear evidence of environmental terrorism meted out on our people, while all efforts of seeking redress and remediation as recommended in the UNEP report had not been adequately addressed.”
