The crisis in the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
deepened yesterday, ahead of Saturday’s mini convention of the ruling party.
The party’s state executive expelled
18 associates of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has been suspended by the party.
Amaechi and President Goodluck
Jonathan have been at loggerheads, with Minister of State for Education Nyesom
Wike leading the anti-Amaechi group in the Rivers PDP.
Among those expelled is the
immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Chief Sam Sam Jaja.
They were expelled for “failure” to
appear before the Osinakachukwu Ideozu-led Committee on Performance Assessment
of Political Office Holders, elected and appointed, on the ticket of the PDP in
Rivers State, which was set up by party Chairman Felix Obuah.
Also expelled are: Secretary to the
State Government (SSG) George Feyii; Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief
Tony Okocha and the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development
Authority (GPHCDA), Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.
The expelled commissioners are
Victor Giadom (Works), Augustine Wokocha (Power), Worgu Boms (Attorney-General
and Commissioner for Justice), Joe Poroma (Social Welfare and Rehabilitation),
Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi (Lands and Survey), Fred Igwe (Sports), Emmanuel Chinda
(Agriculture), Joeba West (Women Affairs), Patricia Simon Hart (Water Resources
and Rural Development), Okey Amadi (Energy), Charles Okaye (Chieftaincy
Affairs), Dr. Nnabuihe Imegwu (Culture and Tourism), Ibim Semenitari
(Information and Communications) and Samuel Eyiba (Local Government).
The Rivers PDP also alleged a plot
by the governor to scuttle the party’s August 31 special national convention in
Abuja through a court injunction.
Okocha, however, said the Obuah-led
PDP had no power to expel him and other associates of Amaechi. He described as
untrue, the allegation that the governor was planning to scuttle the party’s
national convention.
Sources said the decision was to
prevent the expelled persons from attending Saturday’s special national
convention.
But Obuah told reporters in Port
Harcourt that the 18 Amaechi associates were expelled for failing to submit
themselves before the party’s performance evaluation committee.
The Rivers PDP chairman noted that
the party, acting on the recommendations of its disciplinary and the
performance evaluation committee, decided to punish the 18 to serve as a
deterrent to others.
Obuah said: “The refusal of the 18
affected persons to send in written reports of their stewardship, if they were
not chanced to put up appearance, despite the well-publicised sitting
arrangements of the committee is considered as an affront, insubordination and
lack of respect for constituted authority.
“The committee duly notified all
concerned and was willing to accept any written report from such persons where
necessary but did not receive any supervening circumstance that made it
impossible for any of them to honour the invitation.
“We had no choice but to show them
the way out of the party, because we cannot continue to operate in this disorderly
manner, being a serious and disciplined political party.”
The chairman also said the PDP
members who did not appear before the committee escaped the sanction because
they reached both the party’s leadership and the committee, but most
importantly, sent in documentation of their performances, which he said the
committee accepted as satisfactory.
The Chief of Staff, however, said:
“The PDP does not have such powers to expel me or any member of the state
executive council. The matter involving Felix Obuah’s executive is in court.
So, it is subjudice.
“We challenge them to publish the
names of the eight commissioners who they said wrote to them, why they could
not attend the invitation of the so-called performance evaluation committee and
which yardstick.
“What they are planning is to use
fake delegates to the sub-convention of the PDP that is coming up this weekend.
The thing to ask is, why is PDP fighting PDP? A house divided against itself
cannot stand. The whole thing looks like people who are ignorant.
“The matter is in court and we are
not perturbed. Who are those they said they wrote letters inviting them to
appear before a committee? Let them also show us the letters they claimed to
have sent out.
“We all know that the PDP in the
state has two factions: the original one led by Chief Godspower Ake and Felix
Obuah’s.”
Okocha also stated that those
alleging that Amaechi and some prominent Nigerians were floating a new
political party must be soothsayers.
The chief of staff stressed Amaechi
had said he is still a member of the PDP, but declared that if he is suffocated
in PDP, he would leave.
On the claim by Rivers PDP that
Amaechi and the Rivers Chief Judge, Justice Peter Agumagu, were plotting to get
a court injunction to prevent the state’s delegates from attending the
convention and to stop the convention in Abuja from holding, Okocha noted that
anybody who knew Amaechi would confirm that he would never engage in “a fight
of fools”.
Okocha went on: “There is no plan by
Governor Amaechi to seek a court injunction to stop the PDP’s convention. Why
it is that the party is trying to reduce the number of the state’s delegates,
when others are thinking of increasing.
“We expect the party to act wisely
by respecting the matter in the Appeal Court.”
The Obuah-led PDP also stated that
it had uncovered a “subterranean move” by Amaechi and the newly-appointed
Acting Chief Judge of Rivers state, Justice Peter Agumagu, to prevent the
state’s delegates from participating in the convention.
Tags
Politics
Shame to PDP! U pple hv decided to distroy wat has taken others years to build. I tink is high tym oda parties utilize dis opportunity to push PDP 2d gutters were dey belong. Shame..
ReplyDeleteShame shame shame!
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