14th November, 2022
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Supporters of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in Rivers have been in ecstasy over his invitation by Governor Nyesom Wike to commission the iconic Nkpolu-Oroworukwo flyover bridge in Port Harcourt, the State capital.
The invitation card which showed that the bridge will be commissioned on Thursday, November 17, 2022 is being shared ‘aggressively’ by supporters of the Labour Party candidate since it surfaced online.
However, political analysts believe that the invitation of Obi is one of Wike’s political mind games against the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Wike and his allies in the PDP have have vowed not to support the presidential ambition of Atiku until Iyorchia Ayu quits office as the national chairman of the party.
They had called for removal of Ayu from office after the emergence of Atiku as the PDP 2023 presidential candidate.
The PDP national chairman, like Atiku is from the Northern part of the country.
But the Rivers State Governor and his allies said he must vacate office for somebody from the Southern part of the country to take over leadership of the party.
But Ayu had vowed that he will not be stampeded out of office.
Atiku had also said it will not be wise to change leadership of PDP when the 2023 election is just some months away.
However, Atiku and his allies had also insisted that they are not contemplating leaving the PDP.
But the invitation of Peter Obi to commission the project is being interpreted by his supporters, the “Obidents” as an endorsement of his candidature by Wike against that of his own party, Atiku Abubakar
The contract for the construction of Ikoku flyover, Port Harcourt, Rivers State that is now completed was awarded to Julius Berger Plc on March 2, 2021 at Government House Port Harcourt with 12 months stated as period for completion.
But with the commissioning slated for Thursday, November 17 means that it took less than nine months to be completed.