WITH its brawling leaders talking tough, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to be far away from the peace it desperately desires.
The President warned yesterday that the “new PDP” would not condone indiscipline, after accusing some of its leading lights of fraternising with the opposition.
He said: “In a situation where somebody is in a particular political party but his faith is in another political party… For those who are not holding political offices, yes you can excuse…But if you are holding an elective office, you won’t be in that party and be working for another party. Otherwise, why are you there?”
It was all at a meeting with some PDP leaders from Rivers State at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Although, he did not mention his name, it was clear Dr. Jonathan was referring to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, whom he greeted warmly last Saturday at the Port Harcourt Airport – a scene many read as the end of their perceived misunderstanding.
Amaechi is suspended from the party. He got yesterday a condition to return – he should apologise.
The factional chairman of the Rivers State PDP, Prince Felix Obuah, announced the condition while speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of elders and leaders of the state with the President.
But Rivers State Commissioner for Information Ibim Semenitari told Obuah to refrain from making unguarded statements.
And a Rivers State Senator, Magnus Abe, dismissed the meeting as a one-sided affair. Only one member of the National Assembly from the state attended.
Responding to a question on Amaechi’s threat to leave PDP, Obuah said: “Everybody is entitled to his own opinion. He has been suspended because of anti-party activities. So, I don’t want to refer to Amaechi’s matter because it is with the NWC of the party. So he has all to say with the party and not me. If he wants to remain in the party, he has to show respect. If he wants to leave, I cannot stop him.”
“That is why we are here. In any case, he has gone to court. If he shows remorse and goes to the party and apologises, we will call him back, but if he still remains recalcitrant and refuses to change, we are not begging for everybody to be in PDP. That is the essence of multiple party democracy. If he wants to remain, fine. But if he wants to leave, nobody will stop him. Well, as he leaves, two will come to PDP. That’s a plus for PDP.”
Stressing that there is no crisis in Rivers PDP, Obuah said: “We want to assure the President that there is no crisis in the party. We are committed members of the PDP and we remain committed. We also assured him that whoever that is not disciplined and who is not in support of our programme should be left out. At every point in time, we let people realise that the party is supreme and the President is the leader of the party and we have come to show our commitment and loyalty to him.”
“We have come to solidarise with the President and we want to pledge our support to his government. We support his transformation agenda. We also thank First Lady for her recent visit to the state and the empowerment programme for women in all the local government areas in our state. Ordinary, this is the first time the leadership of the PDP is paying a courtesy visit to the President. We used the opportunity to appreciate him and wish him well.”
According to a copy of the speech read by Obuah at the meeting, he said: “We are pained and our heart bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against Mr. President and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria is our own son, Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. This is indeed shameful.”
“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? Unfortunately, he has repeatedly rebuffed every effort by us and well-meaning Nigerians to make him show remorse and respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“Mr. President Sir, we sincerely apologise to you and the First Lady on this sad situation. We appeal that as the saying goes, ‘you do not visit the sin of the father on the son’ and implore your Excellency, to remember us in prayers.”
He went on: “To demonstrate that Rivers people are not with Governor Amaechi in this hostile attitude against Mr. President and our great party, we shall continue to support his suspension from the PDP by the National Working Committee, until he retraces his steps from engaging in anti-party activities.”
“Your Excellency, Governor Amaechi is not only showing disrespect to your office, he is also attacking the Nigeria Police, his grouse that the Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu is not doing his bidding as perhaps, some before him did by being used to terrorise innocent Rivers men and women, including his perceived political opponents. Your Excellency, Mr. Mbu is a God-sent Commissioner of Police who has refused to be used to arrest and harass political opponents of Governor Amaechi and charging them to court on trumped-up charges. We are very proud of his impartiality and we join well-meaning Nigerians in Rivers State to celebrate him as a core professional.”
“It is for this reason that our governor has been doing everything, including instigating commission of crimes to ridicule and blackmail the Commissioner of Police. Governor Amaechi desperately wants Mr. Mbu out of Rivers State and has publicly threatened to lead a street protest in Port Harcourt with hired persons and non Nigerians. The idea of the protest, we understand, is to further press for the removal of the patriotic and selfless Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.”
Obuah also thanked President Jonathan for giving many Rivers State indigenes the opportunity to hold federal appointments.
“Finally, as a party, Mr. President, we in Rivers State assure you that we will continue to support you, the Transformation Agenda and all your policies. As our son-in-law, we guarantee that you can go home and sleep with your two eyes closed, believing that at all times, we will massively support and stand with you, come rain come shine.”
Also speaking with State House correspondents, the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike said: “The governor is suspended, so he can’t come. It is only when he comes back to the party, then he will join us. You can see the men of timber and calibre, the leaders of the party. So, it is not a question of what The Nation or The Sun will publish. I am happy that The Nation and Sun reporters are here and I hope they will publish correctly.”
“Tomorrow, you will see on the front page that a faction of the state PDP…; there is nothing like faction in the PDP. This is the chairman of the party; he led the members of his exco; all the party chairmen and other stakeholders are here.”
On the moves to bring back aggrieved members, Wike said: “We cannot shut our doors to anybody. That is why it is politics. If you are willing to come back, you will do so. The chairman of the party has said so but there are rules which we must comply with and if you cannot comply with the rules, you can’t come back. There must be party discipline. If you don’t want to belong to party A, you may go to party B.
“As I have said before, this issue of threatening does not hold water. It even favours us because people will now see who actually controls the votes in Rivers State. We are on ground and we have the grassroots. Money does not solve all problems.”
He, however, maintained that there is no misunderstanding between him and Amaechi, saying:
“There is no misunderstanding. What you should understand is that in every political process, you expect some disagreements. Some people see it as if there is a personal misunderstanding. There is none.”
“One thing you must understand is that Nigerians do not easily accept change and when change comes, it takes some people some time to accept, but it is change that has come to stay. That the governor does not have the party structure does not make him comfortable. So, all that you are seeing is a reaction to that and we believe that you cannot build a party around a personality.”
“The party is meant for the people and the people make the choice and the choice they made, they were denied and people went to court to get their mandate. It is like a tribunal; if you lose election, you go to tribunal and the tribunal will tell you if you won or lost. Then you can go on appeal; that is the way it is. So, there is nothing personal; rather it is a political activity that is going on.”
Denying the reports that he was shunned by the President last week, Wike said: “First of all, there is nothing like face-saving. If Mr President came on Friday and I received him and when he came back on Saturday, I was the one who mobilised the people and Mr President was quite happy. You can see me with Mr President in the pictures.”
“What you saw was a syndicated job. That is why I am saying and I will continue to say that journalists are supposed to report the truth. Some people stay in government house and write a story and send to you and you publish. You could see that they cut my picture just to prove that I was not there or that Mr President was not happy with me.”
“How would I have mobilised the entire people to see Mr President and he will now say Mr President should not see me. In fact, it is a humiliation to the governor; it is as a result of that humiliation that he went to the church the following day to now say I am a betrayer. It was that anger.”
The former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odilli, harped on respect for authority and discipline in the party.
He said: “There is no human problem without a human solution. What is important is for us to recognize that at any point in time respect for authority, respect for the rule of law, discipline is the guiding principle that will make us run whatever system or societies we are running in an orderly, disciplined fashion, in a way that will be inclusive for all stakeholders to contribute maximally to the well being and purpose of the organisation.”
Optimistic that the crisis in the state will soon be a thing of the past, Odili said: “My assurance to you on behalf of the new leadership of the party of the state is that you will see an end to this exchanges that put Rivers State PDP in bad light. The end will be for the family to resolve the matter in a way that will reflect the discipline and the proper organisation of the party.”
On the meeting with Jonathan, he said: “The leadership of the Rivers State PDP came with its executive to meet the leader of the party in the nation. And it was a very cordial meeting and a reunion, if you like, because for quite sometime the party in the state has not interfaced with the leadership at the centre. It was a very warm and cheerful meeting.”
Among those who attended the meeting yesterday were the Acting National Deputy Chairman of PDP and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudum Nwuche, Uche Secondus, Austin Opkara, Senator Lee Maeba, Fred Kpakol, Ama Pepple, and Walter Opuene.
Others are former Transport Minister, Abiye Sekibo, Senator George Sekibo, Sergeant Awuse, Kenneth Kobani, Timothy Nsirim, Doris Fisher, Toru Ofili, Boma Iyaye, Evans Bipi, Hope Ikiriko, Vincent Nemieboka and Elemchukwu Ogbowu.
