Dr Henry Ogiri, a former Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers.
Ogiri dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the APC at a rally in Abua-Central, Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers on Saturday.
He said he joined the APC because of the interest of his people and not to lead them astray.
“I am joining the APC to align with progressives and support President Muhammadu Buhari in building a new Nigeria.
“Buhari is building a new Nigeria that holds a lot of promise. Whatever we are seeing today will be temporary. We are in APC to partake in the building of a new Nigeria,” he said.
According to Ogiri, whatever sacrifice Nigerians are paying today is for a better tomorrow.
“I enjoin all our people, we must join the APC to build a society that breeds hope for our people, not a society that is plagued with insecurity, poverty and misery.
Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi represented by Sen. Magnus Abe, described Ogiri as a descent man who stayed in PDP because of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“A lot of decent Rivers people felt Jonathan is our brother. So, on that principle, they stayed back in PDP.
“They did not stay in PDP to cause insecurity, multiply and spread poverty in Rivers. They did not stay in PDP to deceive and enthrone the hegemony of one group over the rest of us.
“The factor that kept Ogiri in PDP is no longer there. So, there is no reason for any decent Rivers man to remain in a party that has nothing to offer the people,” he said.
Amaechi said if Nigeria was in a recession, Rivers was already in a depression because companies in the state were moving out and no investment was coming into the state.
“The reason why we are in politics is to live a better life. But when you have a government that is trading better life for politics, it is a bad government,” he said.
Dr Dakuku Peterside, Director-General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said that Rivers was in a reverse gear in terms of development in the past 17 months.
Peterside stated that the state was on reverse gear because it was being governed by a default leadership.
“The schools and primary health care centres built by the former administration have been abandoned. Our pupils and students are out of school because they are paying fees now.
“Rivers people are killed every day because of bad leadership. They don’t understand what governance is,” he said. (NAN)