The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has said it will offer free consultancy services to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on crisis management, to enable them resolve the lingering crisis rocking the party.
The party said the piece of advice remained the best option for the APC, rather than groping endlessly for whom to blame, for their unending woes.
The PDP in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Tambari Sydney Gbara gave the advice while dismissing claims by some APC members that State PDP Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor was ‘hobnobbing’ with the Magnus Abe faction of the party, to fuel its crises.
“We appeal to the APC to channel its energy towards finding a common ground to resolve their crises, or better still drop their pride and over-bloated ego and consult PDP leaders in the State to tutor them on internal crisis management.
“It is unfortunate that since the inception of the APC’s irreconcilable crises about four years ago, it has always been pointing of accusing fingers at the PDP. However, when we had our own share of internal crises, we always resolved it amicably, without looking for who to blame.
“There is a saying that a drowning man would always look for who to grab so that they could drown together. This is exactly what is happening in the APC whose members now go from pillar to post desperately looking for who to blame for its self-inflicted wounds”, said the party.
The PDP noted that the unending crises rocking the APC remains ‘unfortunate and embarrassment’ to the State, as according to them, Rivers People are known to be warm and hospitable, adding that those in the APC are portraying us otherwise.
“We want to for the umpteenth time, sound it loud and clear for those who care to listen, that the PDP has no hand in the imbroglio between the two factions of the APC in the State.
They should understand that the days when such cheap blackmail festered in the public domain are gone”, the party noted.
The party said the statement was necessitated by a press conference recently addressed by two members of the APC from Ward 7 in Asari Toru Local Government Area and Ward 4 in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area respectively, wherein allegations were made against Ambassador Akawor.
It read: “The two misguided hungry looking charlatans in the video that is viral on the media, tried putting up a concocted story of how they and other members of their party were invited to a meeting in Barrister Nwogu Boms’ residence in Port Harcourt, where they were asked to sign an affidavit to join the suit instituted by Senator Magnus Abe’s faction asking for the nullification of the State, Local Government and Ward Congresses held in the state few months ago, accusing the faction of the APC loyal to The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, of hijacking the congress materials and not allowing them (Abe’s faction) to participate in the exercise.
“The miscreants also claimed to have met the State Chairman of PDP Amb. Desmond Akawor in the meeting, who addressed them on how to go about the case so that APC will not be on the ballot paper in the forth-coming General elections in 2023”.
While stating that the allegation was ‘willfully and maliciously’ planned to embarrass the person of Ambassador Akawor as well as smear his hard-earned character, the PDP wondered how “those hungry looking, unkempt figures were able to bankroll such a press conference involving four national television stations and other top national dailies in faraway Abuja, if not sponsored by their pay master”.
“PDP, is not afraid to face the APC, in the forth-coming general election in 2023, that will warrant it to initiate moves to destabilize them, so that they will not be on the ballot.
As a Party, we have oiled our machineries in readiness to give them a run for their money in 2023, after all, we have seen them storm the State with all manner of Federal might in previous elections, but ended up going back to Abuja in utter disappointments.
“We also have witnessed chanting of war songs, threatening fire and brimstone, yet we defeated them woefully, back to back.
“All what they have to offer is maiming and killing our youths in cold blood without an iota of remorse. Except they are planning to come in 2023 with the US marines or the American Seals, what else can they do because we have tasted all their bitter pills and it has emboldened and strengthened our resolve to stand with PDP and save our State.
“We therefore call on the good people of the state to discountenance the concocted lies dished to embarrass the person of the PDP Chairman, to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public with a view to attracting sympathy and attention.
“We also encourage the State Party Chairman to continue with his good works in the Party and not to be deterred by the activities of nay Sayers whose aim is to distract him from moving the Party forward through their smear campaign of calumny”, the party declared.
