The Rivers State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amb. Desmond Akawor has advised a chieftain of theAll Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, to leave the PDP alone and rather advice the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi on how to resolve the irreconcilable crisis rocking his party.
Amb. Akawor in a statement signed by State Publicity Secretary, Tambari Sydney Gbara, pointed out that since charity begins at home, Chief Eze should have first advised Amaechi whom he said, single-handedly ensured that APC in the state never had an executive nor fielded candidates to participate in the 2019 General Elections due to self-styled ’emperor approach’ to leadership.
The PDP Chairman who was reacting to a publication titled, “PDP Crisis: Leave Secondus Alone, PDP Governors Defected Because of your Overbearing Attitude, Eze Tells Wike”, observed that Eze was acting in delusion by being economical with the truth and wanted to cash in on Governor Wike’s rising political profile in the country, to score cheap popularity and impress his pay master by concocting false and baseless article to blackmail His Excellency.
Akawor while likening Eze to a man who rather putting out the ravaging fire in his house, preferred to run after the rats outside, also described him as an inconsistent character whose political antecedent is stomach infrastructure.
“ Chukwuemeka Eze should face reality by rather advising Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to settle with his fellow party man, Senator Magnus Abe so that the APC can be a formidable opposition to the PDP in Rivers State come 2023. He should further his advice on how to end the lingering crisis in the APC”, Akawor advised.
According to the Rivers PDP boss, “Eze is obviously jealous of Governor Wike and trying to create an imaginary crisis situation where none existed in PDP. Conflict is one characteristics of interaction which is evident in our society even in our families, but our ability to amicably resolve it in less than no time portrays the level of cohesion and understanding among those involved, and this is what the PDP has done, contrary to that of the APC, yet Chukwuemeka Eze could shamelessly come out to berate a man who history has vindicated as being loyal and committed to his party.
“Between 2014 to 2015 when the former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi turned against President Goodluck Jonathan and wanted to sink PDP in Rivers State, it was Governor Wike who stood up to the rescue of the party. Again, during Amodu Sherrif’s saga as the National Caretaker Chairman of the party, it was also Governor Wike who championed the resolution of the crisis that would have sank PDP at the national level.
“These are among other notable interventions the governor has made for the survival of the party. All these time, Chukwuemeka did not see Governor Wike as being over bearing. We are not unaware that Chukwuemeka Eze is only trying to express his frustration that Governor Wike along with his colleagues, the BOT and other leaders of the party were able to put the PDP in a better shape ahead of the forthcoming General Elections in 2023 contrary to what is happening in their party, the APC. How can a party whose members are at each other’ throats across the country, such that they could not participate in a general election, refer to the one that has Executives at every level in the 36 States of the Federation, and has been fielding candidates for all elections, as being “continuously enmeshed in layers of ragging crisis that threaten her existence”, while the one that has not participated in the electoral process due to prolonged crisis especially in Rivers State is referred to as being crisis- free.
“It is unfortunate that Eze had decided to “drink panadol for another person’s head ache, else how can he advise the PDP on how to become a formidable opposition in Nigeria, when his so called party is in disarray and not sure of participating in election in Rivers State just as it happened in 2019”.
The PDP further noted that under the APC-led federal government, insecurity had become a common feature in the country with Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, bandits and unknown gunmen killing Nigerians, even as Eze had failed to advise his political leaders on how to address the debilitating hunger, economic and social melee that have turned Nigeria into the poverty capital of the world.
“Chukwuemeka Eze has not thought it wise to advise his APC party on how to address the myriads of challenges in the country with a view to bringing development to all parts of the country especially to the Eastern part of the country where he comes from. Eze is now telling us that he has become holier than the Pope by loving the PDP more that the APC, hence looking for a way to make the PDP more cohesive, irrepressible and formidable. Thank you Eze for letting the whole world know that the APC to which you claimed membership is incapable of providing leadership direction for our dear country, Nigeria as it has not implemented any meaningful programme and also failed to produce what you called “the big yields” to the people, hence your call on the PDP, the one you referred to as “the credible alternative” to bail the country out of the dungeon your APC has plunged it”, PDP declared.
Akawor further accused Eze of failing to advise Amaechi against joining forces with none Niger Deltans to remove Adams Oshiomhole from office as National Chairman of APC and brought in a defective Caretaker Committee headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni, which some members of APC have gone to court to challenge his eligibility for the position being a serving State Governor and at the same time a Caretaker Committee Chairman of a political party which ran contrary to the APC constitution.
He went on, “It is more shameful and ironical for Eze to talk about wastage of money when his master, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi has been indicted of selling Government owned properties and shared the loot with his cronies. For the information of Eze, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi is yet to account for the multi billion Naira realized from the sale of the gigantic Gas turbine plant, Olympia Hotel and other state assets. Your boss also wasted trillions of Rivers money on President Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign, the failed Monorail project, Karibi Whyte Hospital and the Syringe factory.
Calling Governor Nyesom Wike “Father Christmas” is to say the least most laughable and insensitive. Governor Nyesom Wike has applied the resources of the State in the most prudent and discrete manner. In less than two years Governor Wike has constructed ten flyover bridges within Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas, constructed several other life changing projects in all the local government areas. The pertinent question is where is Governor Wike getting all the money he is using to embark on these numerous projects when towards the end of Rotimi Amaechi’s administration, he (Amaechi) had boasted at an event at Dr. Obi Wali’s Integrated Cultural Centre, Port Harcourt that Wike will not get money to pay workers’ salaries, let alone execute projects.
“How can somebody who was told that he won’t have money to pay salaries now turn to become “Father Christmas”. Is it not ridiculous and a sign that Eze is suffering from amnesia or mental failure? Governor Nyesom Wike has no grudges with the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, his desire is to see a PDP that is formidable, cohesive and ready to wrest power from the failed APC government. Eze and his co-travelers are not comfortable with the tsunami that PDP is bringing into 2023, so are looking for every opportunity to sow seeds of discord within the ranks of the party leadership. It will also be reasonable at this juncture to inform Eze that the PDP Governors that defected did so on their own volition in their hopes of escaping prosecution for corruption.
“Their action had nothing to do with Governor Wike who has said it several times that he cannot be cowed into leaving PDP and does not believe in the mantra “join the APC and all your sins are forgiven”. Nyesom Wike is not a corrupt leader, unlike those who were intimidated to defect. It is therefore foolhardy for Eze to try to link Governor Wike who is working assiduously to strengthen the PDP ahead of 2023 of being responsible for the defection in the party. Governor Nyesom Wike’s action is for the overall interest of the party rather than his personal aggrandizement as witnessed by those in the APC. Wike wants to see a formidable, strong and cohesive PDP capable of not only withstanding the APC but taking over power in 2023. He is unlike your pay master, who has since vowed to drop his presidential ambition and fight Senator Magnus Abe who is seeking justice and fair play in the APC.
“Governor Wike has at several fora reiterated the obvious that he is not fighting anyone in the party let alone a Rivers son. He wants all and sundry to join hands in order to make the party stronger and invincible. This, the PDP must achieve no matter how much enemies attempted to frustrate it through careless, baseless and unsubstantiated attacks and blackmail”.
