Stakeholders in the Rivers State chapter
of the Peoples Democratic Party may have begun moves to reconcile the
state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of State for Education,
Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the crisis in the party.
The state PDP had been embroiled in a
crisis since April 15, 2013 when an Abuja High Court’s ruling sacked the
Chief Godspower Ake-led executive and replaced it with a new executive
headed by Mr. Felix Obuah.
Saturday PUNCH gathered on Thursday that
some of the founders of the party, including Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas
and Chief Ombo Isokrari, had been pencilled down to head the
high-powered reconciliation group.
It was also learnt that the first step
towards reconciling Amaechi and Wike would have been the reinstatement
of the suspended Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman, Mr. Timothy
Nsirim, but for the invasion of the state house of assembly by
protesting youths.
A government official, who spoke with
our correspondent on Thursday, observed that the angry parties in the
crisis had agreed to remain calm and allow the reconciliation team to
achieve its objective of reuniting the PDP in the state.
The official, who does not want his name
mentioned, expressed optimism that members of the party, who had been
in enmity for a long time, would be friends again within the next two
weeks.
The source maintained that if both
parties would stop making inflammatory statements, the aim of the
reconciliatory team would not be difficult to achieve.
“People are beginning to make
conciliatory moves to ensure that peace reigns once again in the party.
Whatever happens, I do know for sure that the PDP in the state will
reunite.
“Those involved in the reconciliation
move are elders and members of Board of Trustees of the PDP like Chief
Tonye Graham-Douglas. Chief Ombu Isokrari is also part of the team.
“Such reconciliatory moves would have
yielded a result if the House was allowed to sit as scheduled on Monday.
But if those involved in all these disagreements stop making
inflammatory statements, peace would not be difficult to come by.
“On Monday, the agenda was to present
the report of the House Committee on Local Government led by Victor
Odili and probably reinstate the suspended council chairman of
Obio/Akpor. But the security situation did not create room for that to
happen,” he stressed.
Describing Amaechi and Wike as prominent
sons of Rivers State, the source explained that the people of the state
were proud of them and their achievements for the state.
The source stated that members of the
reconciliation team were trying to reach out to the governor, members of
the house of assembly and Wike with a view to brokering a truce.
“These people have the required
carriage and other qualities to settle the matter once and for all.
Amaechi and Wike are prominent sons of Rivers State and we are proud of
them. So, we don’t want a situation where they will continue to fight
each other,” the source added.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH in a
telephone interview, the state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Felix Obuah,
said he was ready to work with anybody that sincerely believes in peace.
Obuah insisted that he had no enemy in
Rivers and Nigeria and said, “I am a man of peace; I am a Christian and
will work with anybody that believes in peace.
“As I have always said, I am here to
unite the party. I seek peace and I preach peace and I am willing to
listen to any person that comes to me and members of the state executive
to talk about peace.”
source: the punch
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