‘We’ll Stop Rivers PDP Primaries’

The crisis in the Rivers
State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new dimension with some party stakeholders  under the umbrella  of Concerned PDP Stakeholders threatening to stall the forth-coming PDP primaries in the state with legal actions, unless the Felix Obuah-led executive of the party is dissolved.
The stakeholders made the declaration recently in a statement signed by the spokesman of the group, Professor Israel  Owate after a meeting in Port Harcourt.
The meeting which attracted almost all the party’s gubernatorial aspirants in the state also vowed to resist  any attempt by the presidency to impose any candidate on the party  for the 2015 governorship election.
Prof Owate called for the immediate dissolution of the Obuah-led State executive, and  constitution of care-taker committee that would organize fresh congress from the state  to ward levels,  before the party primaries in the state.
According to him, the Felix  Obuah led executive was not constituted in accordance  with the  party’s constitution, and therefore did  not reflect  the wishes of the majority in the party.
The group’s spokesman alleged that the party executive only regarded  the directives of the  Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, without  minding the party’s constitution.
The group further accused the Obuah executive of working for  Chief Wike to become the party’s governorship candidate thereby shutting the doors to other aspirants in the party.
It said, such  bias  can not create a level playing ground for fair and free primaries  for all the gubernatorial aspirants in the party.
The group also alleged that, the executive  violated the PDP constitution on zoning, saying from  former  Governor Peter Odili to the incumbent governor, Chibuike Rotimi Ameachi, the party chose its candidates  based on zoning.
Also speaking, another PDP chieftain, Anas Sara-Igbe called on all the riverine stakeholders in the party to resist any governorship candidacy from the upland, insisting that the Orashi and Ikwerre  ethnic nationalities have completed the 16 year tenure of the upland, and is now the turn of the riverine to produce  the next governor.
He warned the Obuah led executive  and the presidency against imposition of any gubernatorial aspirant from the  upland on the party.
Other PDP stakeholders who spoke at the meeting include  some PDP gubernatorial hopefuls  such as Prince Tonye T.J.T. Princewill, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Engr. Sampson Ngerebara, Chief  Paworiso Samuel-Horsefall, Capt. Sunny  Nwankwo and Engr. Reynolds Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack.

Enoch Epelle

Leader APC Kano State, Dr Danjuma Mohammed (right) listening to the Special Adviser on International Community Relations to Kano Government, Hon. Christopher Chidi Anyaso (left) during the visit of APC Kano State Chapter to Rivers State APC Chapter, recently. Photo: Chris Monyanaga