Former Governor of Rivers State, Dr.
Peter Odili, and the Minister of State, Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, on
Thursday led chiefs of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state that
is opposed to Governor Rotimi Amaechi to a closed-door session with
President Goodluck Jonathan.
The meeting, which was held inside one
of the guest houses in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was attended by a
factional state chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obuah; the five
anti-Amaechi members of the state House of Assembly; the acting Deputy
National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Chibudom Nwuche; a former Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara; a former Minister
of Transport, Abiye Sekibo; Senator Lee Maeba and Sergeant Awuse among
other party chiefs.
In his remarks during the meeting,
copies of which was made available to journalists, Obuah said the party
chiefs were pained that Amaechi had remained the main champion of
opposition in the country against the President and the Federal
Government.
He alleged that the governor had repeatedly rebuffed all efforts aimed at making him to show remorse and respect the President.
While apologising to Jonathan and his
wife, Patience, on the governor’s actions, Obuah said the people of the
state were not with Amaechi in his hostile attitude towards the
President.
He said, “We are pained and our heart
bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against
Mr. President is Governor Chibuike Amaechi.
“We do not know what has come over the
young man. Is it that he wants to destabilise the PDP before his
eventual movement to his new party, having been handed over the ACN/APC
structure in Rivers State?”
Obuah said apart from showing disrespect
to the President, the governor is also attacking the Nigeria Police
because the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is
not doing his bidding.
In an interview with State House
correspondents, Obuah however insisted that there was no crisis in the
state chapter of the party.
On Amaechi’s threat to leave the PDP, Obuah said nobody could stop the governor if he decides to leave.
Wike told journalists that the problem with Amaechi was because he did not have the party structure.
He said, “That the governor does not have the party structure does not make him comfortable.”
On the situation in the state, Odili
said, “What is important is for us to recognise that at any point in
time respect for authority, respect for the rule of law and discipline
are the guiding principles that will make us run whatever system or
societies we are running in an orderly, disciplined fashion.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner
for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, explained
that it was wrong for Obuah to say that Amaechi was opposing the
President of the country.
Semenitari maintained that Amaechi had
always being in support of Jonathan and wondered why the state PDP
chairman would accuse the governor of antagonising the President.
She said, “I don’t really know if Mr.
Obuah really campaigned for the President. I hope that our memory is not
short as the governor has always been there to support the President.
Governor Amaechi is not opposed to Mr. President,” Semenitari said.
She also dismissed Obuah’s insinuation
that the governor was trying to destabilise the PDP before moving to
another party, insisting that Amaechi remained a member of the PDP and
has no plan to defect to another party.
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