Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has said that his administration’s strides in infrastructural development is an unbeatable strategy to secure winning votes for all candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in the 2023 general elections.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, the Rivers governor said this at the inauguration of the Ahoada -Omoku Dual Carriage-way on Wednesday, which held at the Ahoada State School in Ahoada East Local Government Area.
Wike said while people were talking about vote buying and using money to induce electorate, his administration has remained committed to do more work for Rivers people and to make them feel happier.
“Our own campaign is to do work. When you are talking about vote buying, this is the vote buying. We are using work to make the people to support us. So, people should not bother themselves thinking people are going to carry money.
“See our own here, we are using the Ahoada-Omoku road dualization, we are using Ahoada-Ekpena Road, we are using the University campus, we are using Ochigba/Ogbologbolo/Ozochi Road. What will they (opposition) come here and tell you again?”
Wike also said that his administration would use the instrumentality of the law to jail politicians who want to disobey the Executive Orders 21 and 22.
The Executive Orders prohibit political parties, including the ruling PDP in the state, from using public school premises for their political rallies without requisite approval and payment of N5M non-refundable security fee.
The governor noted that some politicians were already boasting that with the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Police on their side, the Executive Orders were inconsequential, and therefore they would disobey them.
Wike dared such politicians to disobey the Executive Orders.
“I didn’t say nobody should use primary and secondary schools for campaigns. All I have said is if you want to use primary and secondary schools for your campaigns, you deposit money.
“So that when you’ve used the place and spoil anything in the school, government will use the money to repair those things you spoilt and clean up the school. And there are those who say that they would disobey and no person will do anything. If you do disobey, you know where you will be.”
Wike explained that the Executive Orders seek to regulate the conduct of political activities to curb nuisance and promote public peace.
“Some people put their campaign offices in where people are living. Somebody is coming back to his house, he can’t enter his house. Why, because they are holding political meetings. We say this thing has to be regulated. It has to be in a non-residential area. They say they will not, I say you will. If you dare it without approval, you’ll go to jail,” Wike warned.