25 Groups Back Fubara, Offer to Refund Nomination Fee as Performance Boosts APC Chances in Rivers
By Kevin Stella Kita
No fewer than twenty five (25) groups have come together to refund the fifty million naira fee for the purchase of nomination form for Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The nomination and expression of interest forms were earlier procured for Governor Fubara, who is seeking a second tenure under the APC, by some elders and stakeholders of the party.
Addressing newsmen on Friday, a Member of House of Representatives, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, said the move was a collective effort of Rivers Stakeholders and it was done in the overall interest of the state.
But despite purchasing the forms already for the Governor, the groups, under the Coalition of Greater Nigeria Groups (GNG), vowed to refund the fee to the Governor, saying, they had fixed May 2 to move in glamorous rally to the APC point of purchase and get the forms for Fubara, but the APC stakeholders beat them to it.
The Coalition, made up of pro-democracy and good governance groups; Human Rights Activists; Nigeria Young Professionals Group; APC Support Groups and other Civil Groups, both in Rivers and National; said the gesture was to encourage the Governor to continue with his good works, knowing that Nigerians are strongly behind him, both home and abroad.
“A delegation of executives of our various groups arrived in Abuja ahead of the purchase of the nomination forms for His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Saturday, but then, the Rivers Stakeholders beat us to it by picking the form yesterday.
“In spite of that, we shall go ahead and make a refund to the Governor. We must be part of this great history. Let the Governor be aware that Nigerians, both home and abroad love and support him, not only in Rivers”, Comrade Jinadu Suleiman, the Spokesman of the Coalition said Saturday morning, while addressing newsmen in Abuja.
The Coalition argued that the performance index of the Governor, in the face of distractions and intimidations, was the selling point, saying Fubara would win convincingly at the polls.
According to the Coalition, the gesture reflects confidence in the Governor’s leadership and a desire for continuity. They stressed that Fubara’s achievements in less than 3 years surpassed what Governors are doing in other states, while expressing optimism that the Governor would win his reelection, even from any party.
“Aside the prompt payments of salaries and pensions in the state, the Coalition affirmed that the Governor takes the welfare of the workers and entire citizenry seriously, the more reason he undertook the renovations of the long abandoned Secretariat Complex, which had become a dead trap for civil servants; commissioning of Government House Staff Quarters; construction of RIVTAF 20,000 Housing Estate Project; launching the ₦4 Billion SME Loan Scheme in Partnership with the Bank of Industry; amongst others.
“The Governor is also at home with the security architecture in the state. Recently, he procured a surveillance helicopter for the Nigeria Air Force; donated 100 Utility Vehicles to the Nigeria Police Force; donated a Fire Truck to NAAN; 12 Security Trucks to NSCDC; six Gunboats and Construction of Personnel Quarters for the Nigerian Navy.
“Not also forgetting the construction of 10.9km Aleto-Eteo-Ebubu Road; Emohua-Tema Road; Egbeda Internal Roads; Trans-Kalabari Road Project; Port Harcourt Dual Carriage Ring Road; 33.5km Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Dual Carriage Road; 5km Okania-Ogbogoro Road; Eberi-Umuakali-Omodu Road, which has helped linked Rivers to Abia States; as well as other wonderful constructions ongoing, to link the riverine areas to the city centers.
“These and more, our Coalitions compiled and we were convinced that, if a man who was not allowed to settle down in the office could achieve this in just two years and some months, then he deserves another term, where much would be expected of him”, the Coalition added.
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