Amaechi: Omehia not up for the challenge

Posted by admin Rivers, State News Sunday, January 9th, 2011

The Amaechi 2011 Re-Election Campaign organization has described the withdrawal of Celestine Omehia from the governorship race on the platform of the PDP in Rivers State as an expression of lack of confidence in himself and a sure sign that he would have failed woefully in the primaries.

Chairman of the Amaechi 2011 Re-election Campaign Organization, Chief Nyesom Wike, stated this while reacting to the statement credited to Omehia that his withdrawal was as a result of lack of transparency in the process that led to the election of delegates for the primaries.

Addressing newsmen at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, Wike said: “Ordinarily we wouldn’t have reacted to Omehia’s withdrawal, he picked his intent form to contest the January 9 PDP governorship primaries and has a right to withdraw or remain. What we are reacting to is what he said about the process of election of delegates being marred by irregularities. The Amaechi campaign organization has prepared overtime knowing that we have to mobilize people to vote.

“This is why we embarked on a tour of Local Government Areas and districts to consult and seek the support of delegates for the primaries.

“It baffles us to know that the same man who is talking about this had prepared a list of his own delegates and petitioned the Party’s National Secretariat, unfortunately his list was turned down because you cannot have a right to conduct primaries without the national body recognizing the panel in charge of that election.

“The same man who says he wants to contest the election has filed several suits at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt. So the issue becomes, what are you seeking for, was he prepared for this election? Certainly not.

“You are aware that in 2007, this same man who is talking about transparency never picked an intent form to run for primaries to be governor of Rivers State, yet after the emergence of Rotimi Amaechi as the candidate of the PDP who scored over six thousand votes in that primary, somebody who never picked an intent form was later chosen to be the candidate of the party, he never questioned that there was no transparency, he never questioned that that process was wrong.”

-Vanguardwp_posts