The Aso Rock Presidential Villa on Thursday played host to a delegation of chieftains of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) from Rivers State led by former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, and the Minister of State, Education, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The delegation which is mainly composed of PDP members opposed to Governor Rotimi Amaechi held a closed-door session with President Goodluck Jonathan in one of the guest houses within the expansive grounds of the Presidential Villa.
Other members of the delegation were a factional state chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obuah; the five anti-Amaechi members of the state House of Assembly; the acting Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Chibudom Nwuche; a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara; a former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo; Senator Lee Maeba and Sergeant Awuse among other party chiefs.
In his remarks during the meeting, copies of which was made available to journalists, Obuah said the party chiefs were pained that Amaechi had remained the main champion of opposition in the country against the President and the Federal Government.
He alleged that the governor had repeatedly rebuffed all efforts aimed at making him to show remorse and respect the President.
Obuah also apologized to President Jonathan and his wife, Patience, on the actions of the governor, even as he disassociated the people of the state from the hostile attitude of Amaechi towards the President.
He said, “We are pained and our heart bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against Mr. President is Governor Chibuike Amaechi.
“We do not know what has come over the young man. Is it that he wants to destabilise the PDP before his eventual movement to his new party, having been handed over the ACN/APC structure in Rivers State?”
Obuah said apart from showing disrespect to the President, the governor is also attacking the Nigeria Police because the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is not doing his bidding.
In an interview with State House correspondents, Obuah however insisted that there was no crisis in the state chapter of the party.
On Amaechi’s threat to leave the PDP, Obuah said nobody could stop the governor if he decides to leave.
On his own part, Wike told journalists that the problem with Amaechi was because he did not have the party structure.
He said, “That the governor does not have the party structure does not make him comfortable.”
On the situation in the state, Odili said, “What is important is for us to recognise that at any point in time respect for authority, respect for the rule of law and discipline are the guiding principles that will make us run whatever system or societies we are running in an orderly, disciplined fashion.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, explained that it was wrong for Obuah to say that Amaechi was opposing the President of the country.
Semenitari maintained that Amaechi had always being in support of Jonathan and wondered why the state PDP chairman would accuse the governor of antagonising the President.
She said, “I don’t really know if Mr. Obuah really campaigned for the President. I hope that our memory is not short as the governor has always been there to support the President. Governor Amaechi is not opposed to Mr. President,” Semenitari said.
She also dismissed Obuah’s insinuation that the governor was trying to destabilise the PDP before moving to another party, insisting that Amaechi remained a member of the PDP and has no plan to defect to another party.