The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has reached out to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to cooperate and join hands with him to move the state forward.

In a state broadcast to mark the landmark Supreme Court judgment which struck out the appeals by the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday, Wike stressed that the state stands to benefit more if all its leaders were united

His words: “Although the present politics of acrimony and bitterness may have strayed from the noble path of the past, I still believe that we shall be better off standing and working together for our state and our people.

“I therefore appeal to the APC and the Minister of Transportation to join hands with us to move our dear state forward. We cannot as leaders continue to remain divided and expect government to deliver on its responsibilities to our people.

“Let us from henceforth seek the common ground instead of allowing our differences to be exploited to slowpoke our march to progress. I appeal to our people to eschew all acts of acrimony, criminality, unrest, and violence throughout the state.

“I wish to recommit myself to continue to do all that is humanly possible to ensure the unity and peaceful co-existence of all our people irrespective of political affiliation.”

He therefore directed the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to review all pending criminal cases linked to politics before the 2019 elections and make necessary recommendations to promote reconciliation.

The governor further pledged to run an inclusive government aimed at advancing the collective interest of all the people of the state irrespective of party, ethnic or religious affiliations.

“We have come a long way in the last four years and accomplished a lot to be proud of but there’s still a lot more to do to advance and realize the ultimate vision of our founding fathers for a truly united, secure, and prosperous state and we need the support of all our people to realize this bold vision.

“We salute the opposition for their courage to fight within the confines of the law to the end. Now that the legal battle is over, the task of building the state must take precedence over all other considerations,” he added.

Governor Wike also expressed gratitude to God for the Supreme Court judgment, assuring the people of the state that with the verdict, all legal tussles in the state have been brought to a conclusive and satisfactory end.