Nigerian First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan
Crisis in the Rivers state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP deepened as sixteen
governorship aspirants in Rivers state boycotted today’s ward and local
government congresses of the party. They accused Patience Jonathan, wife the
president of unwarranted meddlesomeness in the affairs of the party and openly
endorsing, Nyesom Wike, the former of State for Education.
They stated their feelings in a communiqué endorsed by the 16 aspirants.
They demanded that the ward and local government congresses in the state be
postponed until the crisis in the party be resolved to allow fair and equitable
participation of all aspirants.
President Goodluck Jonathan who arrived Port Harcourt on Friday, has however
travelled to Otueke in Bayelsa, his home state, to participate in his party’s
ward and local government congresses of the PDP.
The aspirants said: “we want to put it on record that the First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan has publicly, not in her house, but in the house of one of
the aspirants, endorsed the aspirant.
They also alleged that: “the First Lady has also approached some of our
aspirants to step down and even invited them to a dinner/meeting in the Presidential
Villa. We have constrained ourselves from addressing the unacceptable and
unfortunate interference of the first Lady in the affairs of the Rivers state
PDP because of the enormous respect we have for our son, President Jonathan,
but we want to say enough is enough”.
The 16 PDP aspirants under the canopy of Rivers Mainstream Coalition, held a
mega rally at the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt, calling for national
leadership of the party to avoid an impeding tragedy that would befall the
party and the state if the former Minister, Nyesom Wike, becomes the party’s
flag bearer in 2015 election.
The aspirants who were drawn mainly from the riverine Ijaw part of the state
and Ogoni warned that for the state to live together in harmony power must rotate
between the upland and the riverine.
They pointed out that the national leadership and the President have been
misled to believe that those of them asking for power shift from Ikwerre
(upland) are working for the incumbent governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the All
Progressive Congress, APC.
Dumo Lulu-Briggs, one of the aspirants warned that so much lies have been
told to deceive the people. The aspirants pointed out that all them are working
for the President but for the governorship position power must rotate just as
PDP has agreed that rotation must go to the Eket Zone in Akwa-Ibom and Igbo
speaking part of Delta, Delta North Senatorial district.
He noted that this should also apply in Rivers state PDP. “Reelection of the
president is irreversible and irrevocable because he is the best president the
country has ever had”
On his part, a former aide to the President, Becks Dagogo-Jack said that the
rally was to ensure that bloodletting and violence do not envelope the state
because of the ambition of a few who want to turn the constitution of the party
on its head. “The tree of violence must be uprooted. Nobody’s ambition is worth
another person’s blood”.
For Samson Ngerebara, an engineer and former Commissioner for Works it is
personal glorification for the supporters of Wike to say that the sacking of
the former executive of the party led by Chief Godspower Ake, was loyal to
Governor Amaechi.
He warned that: “Let nobody take our civility and the coming together of all
the aspirants as a sign of weakness”.
Gabriel Pidomson, an Ogoni and former Secretary to State Government SSG,
under brief period of Sir Celestine Omehie as Governor said justice must
prevail in the state PDP. “We shall not be slaves and we shall resist Amaechi
handing over to his brother from Ikwerre.
Felix Obuah,the Chairman of PDP, in his reaction dismissed the claims by the
aspirants as those coming from “desperate politicians”, who are doing
everything to frustrate the party and that they will fail as the party has put
every arrangement to ensure that the party congresses go on smoothly and the
party will triumph.
The aspirants include: Prince Tonye Princewill, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Becks
Dagogo Jack, Gabriel Pidomsom, Senator Lee Maeba and Dr Silva Opusunju.
Others are Prof Dan Baridam, Samson Ngerebara, Paweriso Samuel Horsfall,
Nimi Wilson Jack, Major Lancelot Ayanya rtd among others.
PMNEWS
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