The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bonny Local Government Area has been drawn to a statement by Rivers State Governor, H.E. Chief Nyesom Wike, that Bonny LGA will lose political relevance should his party fail to win the forthcoming election in the area.

We understand that this threat was contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, stating inter alia: “The Governor urged Bonny PDP leaders to ensure the victory of the party in all the polling units. He said leaders who lose their units will lose political relevance.”

We find this statement by Gov Wike as very unfortunate, distasteful and insulting on the collective sensibilities of Bonny people and to their globally-celebrated history.

May we remind Governor Nyesom Wike that the legendary fame, international repute and unprecedented glory of Bonny Kingdom predates modern day Nigeria and cannot be associated with the fading fortunes of his dying party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is on a countdown to exit Nigeria’s political space.

Also, in case he is unaware, Bonny sons and daughters have achieved national and international fame without his input or that of his effette party. A cursory look through Google would do him a world of good and help him to be acquainted with Bonny Kingdom’s relevance in diverse fields of human endeavour.

As a party, we advise Gov. Nyesom Wike to focus on how to make himself relevant in his party where he is still regarded as “a small boy” who had power unfortunately thrust on him without the requisite maturity and presence of mind to manage it.

This, we wish to remind him, was responsible for the failure of his bid to have his candidate, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State as presidential candidate of his party despite the humongous amount of Rivers State’s money he squandered on that ill-advised and futile misadventure. The party “big boys” used that to show him his abject lack of relevance even in his own backyard.

We also wish to remind him that he needs to focus on his certificate forgery case in court and deal with it else he will cease to be relevant on the ballot and in Rivers State.

Let it be stated clearly that Bonny Kingdom does not need PDP or Gov. Wike to be relevant in politics or any other aspect of human endeavour. So, Gov. Wike should spare us his  antics and disdainful and uncouth vituperations.

The APC in Bonny LGA also takes exception to the subdued demeanour of our brothers and sisters in the PDP who stood there watching while Gov. Wike brazenly poured diatribes on their native land, an ancient and revered Kingdom, though abjectly neglected and abandoned by his failed administration since his misadventure into power, has continued to wax glorious.

This sordid and surprising stance of our brethren in PDP Bonny LGA smacks of unbecoming and unjustifiable betrayal of the homeland. You may be insulted anywhere else but can we say the same of your hometown? Not only has Gov. Wike not done anything from projects to programmes in Bonny LGA, he has also not visited Bonny except to seek for votes. Even when he did, he had, for reasons best known to himself, failed to visit the traditional seat of power in Bonny Kingdom, the famous Perekule Palace.

That the leadership of the PDP in Bonny could let this slide speaks volumes of how cowed they have become before Gov. Nyesom Wike. We urge you to wake up and regain your political consciousness before this neglect ossifies in disastrous realities.

Adolf Ransom Pepple,
Publicity Secretary,
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Bonny LGA.