Deputy Governorship Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers State, Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh has withdrawn from the 2019 Rivers State Governorship Election , defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP).
Addressing journalists at his home in Port
Harcourt on Monday, Chief Yeeh said the reason for his
decision is for him to join hands with Governor
Wike to move Rivers State forward.
He said: "After due consultations
with my immediate family, friends and supporters, I Chief
Akpo Bomba Yeeh, the Deputy Governorship of the AAC for the
2019 Governorship election hereby resign my membership of the AAC and
announce my defection to the PDP to join hands with Governor Wike to
move the state forward ".
He added: "I was the Deputy
Governorship Candidate of the AAC in Rivers State up till today 25th
March, 2019 , when I decided to withdraw my candidature and resign
from the party with immediate effect.
"The March 9 , Governorship election
in Rivers State has been lost and won; lost by my party, African
Action Congress (AAC) and its Candidate, Engineer Biokpomabo
Awara and undoubtedly and overwhelmingly won by the Governor of
Rivers State, the candidate of PDP, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike ".
He said that despite the interference of the
security agencies, Rivers people stood their ground and
voted for Governor Wike.
He said: "The collated results further
showed that contrary to the false claim of fictitious lead by
the AAC/APC alliance, the PDP overwhelmingly won all
the elections in 18 out of the 19 LGAs, culminating in
the declaration and return of the party 26 House of Assembly
Constituencies by the Constituency Returning Officers.
"This fact was confirmed on the 13th of
March 2019, when INEC stated, as a matter of fact, that it had
in it's safe custody collated results for 17 Local Government Areas
as well as the declaration of the PDP Candidates for 21 State
Constituencies.
"The outcome of the elections on March 9,
2019 clearly showed the preference of the people of Rivers State.
Even the blind can see and the deaf can hear the echo
that Rivers people overwhelmingly voted to stick with
Governor Wike for the next four years to encourage him to continue
with the good works".
The Former Deputy Governorship Candidate of the
AAC informed that the Minister of Transportation forced him to sign
an un-dated letter of resignation to be effective after
their expected inauguration.
"I was forced to sign an un-dated letter
of resignation as the Deputy Governor of Rivers State to pave
way for Rotimi Amaechi to nominate another person as Deputy
Governor.
"These were slavish conditions for any
rational politician worth his name to accept, but I pretended
to play along because doing otherwise at that time would have
been too dangerous for the safety of my life, given Rotimi Amaechi's
desperation to remove Governor Wike from office and install his
stooge in the person of Engr Awara against all odds".
He said that though the AAC Campaign was
never serious and never campaigned for the office of the
position of Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi during the
adoption of the party, said that he would fund the elections and do
everything under the sun to give AAC victory at the
polls.
He said: "Amaechi disclosed to us
that he had already assembled security personnel drawn from the
Nigerian Army, the Police, DSS and FSARS to provide
adequate security cover and enablement for members of the AAC and APC
to effectively rig the Governorship election and have us declared as
winners on March 9 , 2019".
He stated that the adoption and promise to
deliver AAC was with conditions that conferred de facto governance
on the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi
Amaechi.
Chief Yeeh outlined the conditions: "First,
he (Amaechi) must be the one to appoint 90 percent of all political
office holders, including commissioners, Special
Advisers, and chairmen and members of Government Agencies and
parastatals.
"Second, he must be the one to
nominate and produce all the 23 Local Government Council Chairmen
and other principal officers of the councils.
"We, that is, Engr Awara and my humble
self must consult and take instructions from him on all financial,
policy and fiscal matters, as well as award and payment of all
contracts and other financial transactions upon inauguration as
Governor and Deputy Governor of the state".
He added: "As a practicing Christian,
I have come to the conclusion that the actions and desperate attempts
by Amaechi and the AAC/APC alliance to rig the Governorship and State
Assembly elections in Rivers State are both morally and legally
wrong, reprehensible and inimical to the collective interest of the
people of Rivers State.
"The Almighty God will not forgive me if I
continue to lend my support to Rotimi Amaechi's perfidy against
the democratic rights of the people of Rivers State to freely elect
their own leaders ".
He condemned the Minister of
Transportation for unleashing violence on Rivers people in his failed
attempt to rig the 2019 Rivers Governorship election.
The Former Deputy Governorship Candidate of
AAC stated that he has informed Engr Awara in writing of his
withdrawal and resignation from the Governorship race and the AAC.
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