Peterside To Ibas: Justify Method Of Your ‘Riff Raff’ Appointments In Rivers State

Mr Atedo Peterside, President of the ANAP Foundation, has challenged the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), to explain and justify his selection process in the appointments of Local Government officials and other political appointments to the Nigerian public.

He specifically warned that Ibas should as a matter of importance be called to order immediately, stressing that there should be no mistake whatsoever that Rivers people will sit down forever and accept persons being appointed to lord over their state and resources.

Peterside, who is also the Founder of IBTC Bank pointedly said that Ibas has no right whatsoever to exacerbate the already tense political situation in Rivers State.

He warned that the people of Rivers State will not sit passively and allow an individual, who is not from the State to brazenly mismanage their resources and worsen the existing conflict, stressing that the Sole Administrator appointed some “riff raffs” to positions of honour in the State.

The billionaire businessman said that it is clear that Ibas either misunderstood his mandate or lacked understanding of his role.

Peterside, who stated these when he featured on Arise Television on Thursday, noted that instead of contributing to stability and reconciliation in a volatile situation, Ibas is potentially aggravating the problem.

He further said; “You see, in every situation, I always believe in giving people time to tell us who they are, what they are about in effect, before you rush to judgment.

“When this Sole Administrator was appointed, please check everywhere, I never made any comment about him, his competence, his integrity or anything. So, what has changed?

“What has changed is that I think the Sole administrator either misread his brief or he has no understanding of what his role is. And instead of coming to an inflamed situation to help to achieve stability and healing, he might be inadvertently adding fuel to the fire. A given basis, he has made some appointments.

“First of all, he emerged in an irregular manner. I would say the executives were misguided. So, he is a product of the executive being misguided legally, and then the legislator will be introducing rascality to use a voice vote to confirm his appointment.

“We all know, a voice vote does not make any sense. It can never prove two-thirds, because even in the House of Reps, we don’t even know how many people were in the room. I saw the TV pictures.

“So, here is the man who came in, knows he is on shifty ground, and what has he done? You know, they say, make some appointments, and I’ll tell you who you are. He has made some appointments, even the Rivers State Electoral Commission, he went in there, removed people, and made appointments. He then went to all the LGs, appointed, Sole administrators,” he noted.

Peterside said that a man who has no proper mandate in a serious country with a serious legal system now decides to add insult upon injury.

In the words of Peterside; “Instead of simply leaving local governments in the hands of the most senior full-time staff and even reading them the riot act, to do the correct thing, he now goes to superimpose people.

“I challenge him to tell the nation through what process he chose those he appointed. Through what process did he make the appointment?

“Did he advertise the positions? Did he call for nominations? Did he search Rivers State for the most competent, skilled persons of high integrity?

“Like I have already said, we know ourselves in Rivers State. You make many appointments from the people you have chosen. I can tell you who you are with due respect for the people he appointed. In my personal opinion, they are riff-raffs.

“So, a man leaves Cross River State, comes to Rivers State in an inflamed situation. Did he choose people that he knew personally when he was in the Navy? Who did he ask for nominations? Where did he produce some of these riff raffs from?

“You have got an electoral commission, and you bring in some people that you chose through a method that you can’t explain? Please, I challenge him to explain how he chose those persons.

“So, do you want us to accept the elections conducted by some of those people that he chose when we don’t even know how they are mixed? And I think that is disrespectful to the people of River State,” Peterside stressed.