Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC, led federal government is appointing only Vice Chancellors that would help the party rig the 2023 elections.
Wike said only compromised academics who are willing to submit names of politically exposed lecturers as returning officers to rig elections for the ruling party are being appointed as Vice Chancellors of federal universities.
Wike, who warned Vice-Chancellors and lecturers to be wary of attempts by some unscrupulous politicians to use them to manipulate elections, declared that those contemplating rig elections in Rivers State will be treated as coup plotters.
The Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, in a statement in Port Harcourt, stated that Wike made the during the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of 9200 capacity ultramodern convocation arena of the University of Port Harcourt by the Rivers State government on Tuesday.
Wike said it is worrisome that Nigeria has degenerated to the point where politicians now influence who becomes a Vice-Chancellor of a federal government for the purposes of rigging elections.
He said: “Let me warn, not one person will dare to rig election in Rivers State. Not one person will dare it. I have told people, allow the university community to produce those who will be leaders of this country.
“Don’t turn university community to be where you will have politicians who manipulate and change the mandate of the people. Anybody who does that, you know it is a coup and you know the punishment for coup plotters.”
He stressed that the reason there is so much tussle these days on who becomes Vice-Chancellor of federal universities is because of political interference by extraneous forces.
He described as heartrending a situation whereby lecturers who are supposed to revered in society, wilfully compromise their integrity, just to become Vice-Chancellor, who will afterwards be used to manipulate elections.
Wike said: “These days, you see a lecturer, a PhD holder, a professor ready to soil his name, to allow himself to be kidnapped and taken somewhere to sign result and to declare somebody who did not win election winner.”
The governor enjoined desperate politicians in the ruling party not to dent the integrity of the university system because of their inordinate ambition.
The Governor, however, warned that any Vice-Chancellor that allows himself to be used to rig election in Rivers State should be prepared for the consequences of such hideous act.
The governor declared that the 2023 general election will be completely different from the 2019 election which was manipulated by the ruling party. He insisted that attempts to prevent transmission to election results electronically will be resisted.
“If you want to play politics with us, I will rub your mud. If you want to join us (politicians), openly come and join us. But if you want to hide under the university.
“INEC knows that they have to be prepared in 2023. And that is why we will resist any attempt for anybody to manipulate the amendment of the Electoral Act, to say that election results will not be transmitted electronically. That will not happen. If you want the vote of the people to count, the result must be transmitted electronically,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Stephen Okodudu commended Governor Wike for consistently identifying with the ideals and aspirations of the university.
Okodudu said: “You have continued to support the successive administrations of the University through the donation of funds and provision of social infrastructure to give meaning to the lives of staff and students.
I recall with nostalgia, that Your Excellency attracted the construction of the Faculties of Law and Social Sciences buildings while serving as the Hon. Minister of State for Education” Vanguard gathered.