Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has said that he joined the All Progressive Congress, APC, along with other members of the newPDP because President Goodluck Jonathan failed to address issues raised by the G 7 governors.
Amaechi who spoke Wednesday at the Port Harcourt international airport, Omagwa assured that the APC would protect the interest of all Rivers state people, adding that the state had suffered untold neglect in the government of President Jonathan.
“Rivers State must know that for me to have taken that decision, I had looked at the general interests of Rivers people. I was not elected to lead Nigeria, I was elected to lead Rivers State and I had looked at the interests of Rivers people and have seen that these interests were not protected in PDP.
“I have seen the fact that we are losing our oil wells in Etche, in the Kalabari areas and that the more they continue to pilfer these oil wells, the more we will continue to lose our wealth”, he said
The governor who denied any face off with President Jonathan said he did not join the APC to spite the President but to further the interest of the state.
He, however, pointed out that despite his defection to the APC, he still held the President in high esteem and had no personal quarrel with him.
He said, “The President and I have no personal quarrel. It is important we put that in perspective. All the issues were issues that affect Rivers people, they were issues that affect Nigerians and I am a Nigerian, I have to address those issues.
“He is my President and I respect him. I respect his office, respect him as a person and respect the fact that he is older, but then as an elected governor of Rivers State, I have the responsibility to lead Rivers State.”
Meanwhile, the PDP in Rivers State has called on its members not to join Amaechi in the APC.
Chairman of Rivers PDP, Felix Obuah, urged members of the party not to be swayed by Amaechi’s promise of SURE-P empowerment scheme to join him (Amaechi) in APC.
Obuah, who threatened to sanction any of state PDP members found to be involved in anti-party activities, cautioned that the party would not hesitate to wield the big stick against members working against its success in the state.
The state PDP chairman spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday during a party’s rally in response to Amaechi’s defection to the APC.