A flurry of activities may be going on to allay the concerns of the people of Oyigbo who seemingly appear to have turned their back on Governor Nyesom Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Most people in the Oyigbo Local Government Area which include natives and Igbos who until recently were under a 24-hour curfew had alleged that the Governor of Rivers State had sent in security forces to kill and maim them.
Accordingly, Oyigbo people, our Correspondent in the area reports, are gradually shifting their support to the Minister of Transportation and the APC.
An Oyigbo resident told our Correspondent, “All over Oyigbo, mention the name of the Minister of Transportation and you will be shocked by the kind of goodwill he enjoys amongst us. He is a man, a dependable ally.
“We cannot say so for Wike who deployed soldiers to wipe us out. It is something that we cannot forget so easily. Most people here have abandoned their homes and run away.
“So, nobody here wants to hear the name of Governor Wike
A puzzled Rivers Governor, faced with the fast spreading tale of annihilation, asked to know who he would govern if he were to ask soldiers to kill his people.
Wike who spoke on Channels Television said he could not have sent in soldiers to exterminate the people.
On another occasion, Wike had stressed that the Chairman of the State PDP is from the area, saying there was no way he could have acted against his interest.
He wondered how the move to maintain law and order could be construed to mean an attempt to kill defenseless people.
Notwithstanding what Wike says at this time, the tide has shifted in Oyigbo.
Among the Igbos who reside in and outside Oyigbo, the feeling is the same – Amaechi is a better horse to bet on than Wike.
An Igbo recently accused Governor Wike of having the blood of innocent Igbos on his hands, an accusation, which led the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pailinus Nsirim to react.
Nsirim in a statement circulated to the press debunked the claim, saying those claims were baseless and unfounded.
Wike has however swung into action in order to correct an impression that he knows might turn into ill-wind that blows no good.