The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers state has taken a new turn with a prominent member of the party, Hon. Lolo Ibieneye crying out that what the party stands to lose in the state would turn out to be Gov. Amaechi's gain.
Hon. Ibieneye, a founding member of the Party and a former Commissioner in the state spoke recently to newsmen on the state of affairs in PDP under the leadership of Chief Nyesom Wike, the Junior Minister for Education.
He said the Party has lost its membership due to the high handedness of Wike and the two-man exco led by the Chairman, Felix Obuah and the Secretary, Ibiba Walter.
The outspoken politician said the only way to revamp the Party and restore its fortunes is by dissolving the state exco and replacing it with a Caretaker Committee. He said if that is not done, the Party may lose its chances of maintaining a winning streak in the state during the forth coming elections.
Meanwhile, there is palpable fear and anxiety in the camp of Wike as the National Headquarters of the Party led by a gentle man and a Reformer who believes strongly in the Rule of Law, Adamu Muazu may wield its big stick against Obuah and his cohorts.
The entire exco of the PDP in Rivers state as it is currently constituted is unconstitutional and fraudulent. While the Federal High Court had removed the former Chairman, Chief G.U. Ake and the Secretary, Barr. Oruwari and replaced them with Obuah and Walter as Chairman and Secretary respectively, the rest of the exco members were not removed and no congress was conducted according to the law to validly replace them. Rather than toe the right path, the new leader of the Party, Nyeso Wike went ahead to sack the other members of the exco and replaced them with members of his Grass Root Development Initiative, GDI. The Local Government exco went to Court to challenge the actions of Wike who had further constituted a new exco at the local government and Ward levels. While the matter is still pending in Court, Wike's men and women who are members of the GDI have taken over the structure. And affairs of the Party.
This action has further worsened the situation as INEC will be forced to nullify every action taken by the current exco odf the Party. This was the scenario which forced the PDP to organise a mini convention last year to properly fill up the vacant positions created in the National Executive Committee of the Party when the Court ordered that those who were not validly elected within the confines of the Court should vacate their seats.
Though a similar thing is likely to happen in the case of Rivers state, but the Obuah and Walter also risk losing their seats for being partial in the handling of matters in the party.
It would be recalled that some members of the Party who were against the ambition of Wike to succeed his kinsman, Amaechi, were sacked by Obuah and co without recourse to the Party's constitution. Hon. Elemchukwu Ogbowu, Hon. Lolo Ibieneye and Chief Anabs Sara Igbe were expelled from the Party without a fair hearing. The issue was not also referred to the Party's National Secretariat whose responsibility it is to ratify the decision if considered right.
It is also believed that Obuah's leadership will not provide a level-playing field for all the aspirants as he is already biased to favour Wike.
According to Ibieneye, those masquerading themselves in support of Wike are only masquerading themselves. "The PDP in Rivers state is dying ansd I'd nothing is done fast, that would give Amaechi an upper hand".
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