Factional Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State,Chief Felix Obuah, yesterday
accused Governor Rotimi Amaechi of rebuffing his (Obuah’s)
overtures to restore peace to the party. Read more
Chief Obuah had,last Saturday in Port
Harcourt ,said he as the father of PDP in the state would summon the
governor and other stakeholders to his residence with a view to
reconciling all the aggrieved parties in the crisis rocking the party.
“I want to invite the governor
(Amaechi), the minister (Wike) and all aggrieved members of the Ikwerre
community to be with me in my palace next weekend. Let us sit down and
fashion a way forward. I will not sit down and see my children
quarrelling and I will not feel concerned,” he had said.
The governor’s reaction to Obuah’s Saturday statement was swift.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor
Rotimi Amaechi said it was ridiculous for Obuah to stand on a podium in
Wike’s place and announce that he was summoning the governor to a
reconciliation meeting.
Iyofor said: “Part of the problem with
characters like Obuah and his backers and sponsors is that they have
suddenly decided to forget that Governor Amaechi was overwhelming chosen
by Rivers people, elected and mandated by the people to lead them until
May 29, 2015.
“It is important that they show respect
for the office and the man who occupies that office. It does not matter
whether they like the face of the governor or not. Once he has been
mandated by the people to lead them, they must show some respect for him
and the office he occupies, which he holds in trust for the people.
“Obuah and his cohorts have been most
disrespectful and have been derisively deriding the governor and the
office of the governor of Rivers state. Enough is enough. They have to
be called to order.”
In a statement yesterday,the PDP
factional Chairman termed Amaechi’s response to his invitation as
“outright rejection of the party’s peace overtures.”
He said the peace move was ”in keeping with the belief that as a father, the party can reconcile its differences.”
“For us, only Rivers people can settle
their internal problems and wondered why the governor hastily rebuffed
the effort as if he is not interested in making peace with his party and
people,” Obuah said in the statement signed by his Special Adviser on
Media, Jerry Needam.
He added: “By this development, the
entire Rivers people should be able to read in between the lines to know
who are behind the crisis. It’s only those who have ulterior motives
that will object to peace initiatives being brokered by the leadership
of the party in the state.”
He told Gov Amaechi and his aides to
“stop using the crisis as an excuse for not discharging their duties and
also stop using the state resources in pursuing personal political
agenda which is currently the case.
“We’ll, however, not coerce any person
or group into any peace agreement. It behoves on all persons involved to
choose their course and take the consequences of their actions.
“We must reemphasise that our party is
not a respecter of any person(s). It will be fair and just to all
members in the state, but it will be firm and courageous as well.”
Culled from The Nation newspaper
No comments:
Post a Comment