Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has made it clear he is open to criticism that could make him deliver more and better.
The governor however, said it should be constructive, just as he has also cautioned against what he termed politics of bitterness.
The made this known when the Inter- Party Advisory Council, (IPAC) in Rivers State, led by the chairman, Desmond Akawor, who is also the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), paid him a courtesy visit at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House Port Harcourt in the week.
The governor I cautioning against bitterness said his administration would be open to constructive criticisms to deliver on its key mandate of protection of lives and property and improved welfare of Rivers people.
He said with the elections over, it is now the joint responsibilities of all stakeholders in the state to join hands to promote the business of governance. He assured that he would run an accommodative and all-inclusive administration. The governor has not however given slots to other parties in constituting his cabinet nor has he asked the bitter parties what made them angry.
Fubara said it was easier for the PDP in the state to coast home to victory because of the intense presence of the Party across the 23 LGAs of the state. But most of the opposition parties wept aloud that they were caged and attacked and even killed during campaigns.
The governor however attributed his overwhelming victory at the last governorship elections in Rivers State to early preparations by his party in the state.
In his view, “Before the elections, we started a programme to buy into the new electoral law signed by the former president. We were prepared for the elections, it’s only our party, the PDP that went round the 23 LGAs to sensitise the people, not only to register but collect their PVCs. IPAC was part of that process. What we have now is a product of that earlier preparations; we wouldn’t have succeeded if we hadn’t created contact with the people.
“I’m happy that you are here, we are working towards laying the right foundation for the development of the state, and we will work together for the best interest of the state, as one family,” he noted.
Earlier in his address, the secretary of IPAC, Omangima Harry, had on behalf of the body, congratulated the governor over his victory at the last governorship elections in Rivers State, and expressed confidence in his ability to deliver good governance in the state.
He said the election that brought him to power was devoid of violence that had previously marred electoral processes in the state. He said this despite skating criticisms of the Rivers elections by the European Union and some other international observers, though the FG has rejected those remarks.
The secretary however noted that the governor has started governance in the state on a good note by commencing the monumental Port Harcourt Ring Road project.
The IPAC secretary also hinted that the emergence of Fubara from the Rivers South East Senatorial District, which was yet to produce a governor, has brought political justice in the state.
