Rivers: Council Boss Accuses Wike of Plotting His Ouster

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The Executive Council Chairman of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area in Rivers State and a staunch All Progressives Congress(APC) stalwart, Hon. Augustine Ahiamadu, yesterday accused the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the PDP Chairman, Rivers State, Chief Felix Obuah, of sponsoring youths to engage in a rebellion to remove him from his elected position.

He also alleged that the steps taken by Wike in importing a letter from the Presidency to authorise the suspended Community Development Committees (CDC) and the youth body to take over the activities of the council was practically an aberration of the local government hand book signed by the present Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, when he was Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, during the first tenure of Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

Ahiamadu disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

He explained that the inauguration and dissolution of youth bodies and CDC were the functions of the local government councils as stipulated by the bye-laws of the councils.

According to him, “to cap it all, Wike was in the local government (Omoku) and from the information we gathered, he brought a letter from Abuja to give to them (the youth body and CDC) to function. But, I am sorry to mention that it is not the function of the Presidency, but the function of the local government council. The constitution of our nation provides for the chairman to dissolve and inaugurate youth bodies or the CDC. We have a bye-law in our local government.

The present local government handbook signed by the present Minister of Sports, Dr Tammy Dangogo, in 2010 is still in force. And it empowers the Council to dissolve the CDC if we are experiencing any disorder,” Hon. Ahiamadu said.

Continuing, Ahiamadu noted: “We are crying out loud because we thought it was a community matter that we could handle, but what is playing out is more a political issue than a community issue. We also have problems in Okwusi community, where the Council dissolved the CDC and youth bodies, and set up caretaker committees and heads did not role.

Even at the time when Felix Obuah was the Council Chairman, he dissolved the Erema youth body and at that time, heads did not role and we did not go to Omoku to block the council gate.

They also went to Egbema and dissolved the youth body, heads did not role, why is it happening in my tenure as chairman. There is more to this. They are acting the script of Felix Obuah."

The Council boss while expressing dismay over the nonchalant attitude of the activities of disbanded youths and the CDC tasked the police in Rivers State to rise up to their responsibilities, stating that the blockade of the council by the disbanded youths and CDC was calculated to cripple the economy of the council and encourage waste of funds accruing to the council on a daily basis.

“If the police had done what is right, those people won’t be there to block the council entrance. I believe, something is wrong somewhere. I believe, this is a script written by Felix Obuah. Politics is all about give and take. Everybody will not belong to the same political party. We need to tell the world. The federal government should be aware of what is happening. An individual is not above the law, but Wike and Obuah operate as if they are above the law. I am sure, this is happening because Wike has security agents with him,” Ahiamadu noted.

Ahiamadu also alleged that members of the PDP have been incessantly chasing and arresting supporters of the APC in their homes, while the former CDC Chairman has also violated the law by breaking into peoples’ offices and further damaging property belonging to the council.