THISDAY

Rivers AAC Deputy Guber Candidate Defects to PDP

- Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The deputy governorsh­ip candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers State , Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh, has withdrawn from the state governorsh­ip election and defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He has also accused the Minister of Transporta­tion, Chibuike Amaechi, of plotting to run the state through the governorsh­ip candidate of the AAC, Biokpomabo Awara, when elected.

The Amaechi faction of the All Progressiv­es Congress (APC) had adopted Awara, two days to the governorsh­ip and state assembly elections and promised to ensure his success at the poll using the structure of the APC.

Addressing journalist­s at his home in Port Harcourt on yesterday, Yeeh said the reason for his decision is for him to join hands with Governor Nyesom 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 candidate 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 dovernorsh­ip candidate of the AAC in Rivers State up till today March 25, 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, 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 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’s 26 House of Assembly Constituen­cies by the Constituen­cy Returning Officers.

“This fact was confirmed on March 13, 2019, when INEC stated, as a matter of fact, that it had in its 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”.

Yeeh alleged that the Minister of Transporta­tion forced him to sign an undated 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,

Cont’d on page 42

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