Ahead of the delegates’ election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), some chieftains of the party in Rivers State have called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, to take urgent steps to arrest what they described as a flawed process that could mar the outcome of the primaries of the party and indeed the general elections.
Rising from an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt yesterday, the members representing different groups and associations complained that a large segment of party faithful were being denied party cards and an opportunity to be registered. They alleged that because there was no proper party Executive Committees in the state, the Bro. Felix Obuah-led group and some who did not defect with Governor Rotimi Amaechi were muddling the process of registration and issuance of party cards.
In a statement by the General Secretary of the Rivers PDP Third Force Movement, Oprite Amachree, on behalf of the other complainants, they drew the attention of the party’s leadership to lack of a level playing field and abuse of the process which, they claimed, would create credibility problem for the Saturday Delegates Election in the state, if unchecked.
They accused the former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike and the aides of PDP chieftain, Chief Uche Secondus, to have collected cards meant for Rivers State chapter of the PDP that they are now hoarding. They also alleged that these persons are registering their loyalists in secret. They accused Wike of printing illegal party cards to be used during the election. Other posers raised include lack of membership registers at the ward secretariats, absence of PDP executive committees at the LGAs and ward level to conduct the Delegates Election.
The statement read in part: “We held an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt today to review the state of affairs in our party as the Delegates Election is now here. The situation is anything but very disturbing and a bad omen for the future. We wish to draw the attention of our leader, President Goodluck Jonathan and our National Chairman, Ahajli Adamu Mu’azu, to the immoral and despicable acts of manipulation now going on in the Rivers PDP which will not help the party but rather lead to untold acrimony, major crisis and litigation that could indeed mar the outcome of the forthcoming delegates election in the state. Because the PDP does not have legitimate state executive, we do not have membership registers at ward secretariats, no legitimate PDP executive committees at the LGAs and wards to conduct the Delegates Election. Even at that, we have a situation where issuance of party cards and registration of our members are now seen as a favour even only to those loyal to the former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike. He in connivance with the aides of Chief Uche Secondus, we have found out as a fact, have gone to collect Rivers PDP cards from Abuja and are now busy issuing them to people seen as their loyalists and registering people in secret. It is that bad. Wike is prancing all over the state that he had bought all the forms for the delegates election, necessitating recourse by desperate members going to the national headquarters in search of party cards. But this shouldn’t be so. It is abnormal, an aberration.
“It is important, too, to inform our President and our Chairman that the unfolding absurdity had also led to the removal of party registers from the wards and so members can’t confirm if their names are in these registers. Even as sale of forms for the Delegates Election begins today, we are aware that Wike has already printed fake forms to be used during the election and this calls for deep concern because of the implication for our collective interest as a party in the state. In which case, such desperate action by Wike can only lead to rancour and serious crisis in the state. Indeed that we are very much aware Wike is planning violence into his wild scheme of manipulation and the result no one can tell.
“Thus it behoves us as major stakeholders in the party to raise this alarm and hopefully the our national Leader- the President, our National Chairman, National Working Committee and all men and women of goodwill will intervene swiftly to correct these shenanigans being orchestrated to satisfy a selfish end. Importantly, our leaders must be sensitive to the fact of imminent litigation arising from the conduct of a Delegate Election through a flawed process, realising that there are institutional and legal conditions precedent to the conduct of primaries but which the on-going diabolical steps by Wike and his co-travellers will certainty fail to meet.”.
Mr Amachree further noted that if nothing is done about these complaints all other aspirants have no need of contesting in the elections as the Obuah-led Executive that will conduct the Delegates Elections is under the firm control of Wike. He then called on all other gubernatorial aspirants to immediately carry out a joint protest march in Abuja demanding for justice from all including President Jonathan who is the President of Nigeria today because of the zoning arrangements of the party. According to him “If the Executive Committees at all levels of the party are not changed then Wike will win the primaries and this would be against the zoning arrangements on ground in Rivers State. 24 years of upland rule is unacceptable. Rivers people will not support a PDP with an Ikwerre candidate, consequently, the APC will win the elections in Rivers State. Mr President got there through zoning; he should not abandon his kith and kin in Rivers State. We call on all on gubernatorial candidates in Rivers State to come together and carry out an intensive protest march in Abuja so that the matter can be heard. We call on them not to contest in any elections that include Wike and the current pretender-executives as it would be a waste of time and money.”
