The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, said its attention has been drawn to a press statement by the R/S PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah titled, “Dakuku’s Attack On Odili, Height Of Frustration, Rascality – Rivers PDP Chairman.”
The R/S APC in a press statement signed by its spokesman Mr. Chris Finebone unequivocally stated that Dr. Dakuku Peterside DID NOT, for all intents and purposes, insult the former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili and his wife, Justice Mary Odili as canvassed in Felix Obuah’s press statement, adding, “Dr. Peterside did not, and still does not, have any reasons to insult or show disrespect under any circumstances whatsoever to the former governor of Rivers State, his wife and, indeed, anyone.”
The APC noted that the issue in question is a mere verbatim reference Dr. Peterside made to the public statement of Gov. Nyesom Wike at a church thanksgiving service where he said: “Let me thank our former governor, Dr. Peter Odili [husband of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili]. He will call me midnight to tell me what to do….he will say ‘go so so place.’ I took all his advice, and here we are today.” These were the words of Gov. Nyesom Wike. Dr. Dakuku Peterside merely quoted the governor and then concluded his reference to the governor’s speech by saying: “This shocking confession needs no further explanation except for you and other decent Nigerians to further make your fair conclusions.”
The APC asked Felix Obuah and the PDP: Where lies the insult on Dr. Peter Odili and his wife in the reference Dr. Peterside made to Gov. Wike’s public comment?, maintaining that “indeed, if anyone indirectly insulted the former governor and his wife, it is Gov. Nyesom Wike because of his unwarranted verbal incontinence, drunken boasts and dropping of names of the former governor and his wife while holding discussions with his associates. Some of these same associates of Gov. Nyesom Wike, in turn, take the names dropped by the Governor to public space with its attendant negative perception.”
The R/S APC urged Felix Obuah and the PDP to compel Gov Wike to apologise to Dr. Peter Odili and Justice Mary Odili for woefully failing to exercise discretion in his public utterances and needlessly dropping their names while holding formal and informal discussions with friends and associates.
The APC assured former Governor Peter Odili and Justice Mary Odili that despite differences in political affiliation, the leadership and supporters of its party will continue to hold them in high esteem as eminent citizens and one time first family of our dear State for 8 years, adding, we believe that nothing can take that away from history.
“We urge Felix Obuah, Jerry Needam and their ilk to strive to exhibit maturity and grasp of age-old hallowed principles in statecraft and politics by not painting every political issue in the only colours known to them – motor-park colours”, the statement advised.
A former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has expressed regret that he supported Mr. Rotimi Amaechi to become the governor of the state in 2007.
Rotimi Amaechi
Odili said Amaechi dismantled the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party through his (Amaechi) defection to the All Progressives Congress.
He explained that but for the quick intervention of the former Minister of State for Education and PDP governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, the party would have gone into oblivion.
The ex-governor, who spoke on Saturday during Wike’s campaign tour in Ndoni Local Government Area, said Amaechi worked against the PDP structures put in place by the founding fathers of the party.
Odili pointed out that the PDP in the past, supported Amaechi’s political career with good intentions, adding that he and the PDP had accepted their mistake and were poised to correct it in 2015.
It was the first time the former governor would be speaking publicly on the strained relationship between him and the incumbent governor, who was the Speaker of the state House of Assembly for eight years when Odili was the governor.
He said, “We thought we did the right thing by supporting Amaechi to become the governor of the state. We left a united state; we also left a united party; PDP was one, Rivers State was PDP.
“There was no other party in Rivers State other than the PDP. Whatever the party hierarchy said would happen happened. The secretary is here to support what I am telling you here today.
“With all the best intentions, we supported his political career and ambition. We thought we did what was best for the state. As you know, until a man has power and has money, you don’t really know him.
“One thing is clear; we have accepted our mistake and we are determined to correct it in 2015. Who would have thought that a governor, who won an election on the platform of the PDP would defect with the mandate of the party to another party?
“Who would have thought that a governor elected on the platform of the PDP will abandon the PDP to join an opposition party? The elders of the party, who are here, can corroborate what I am saying here today. We ran a cohesive party. We had respect for the elders of the party. We had respect for party members.”
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State Chapter, describes the All Progressives Congress’ statement about Gov. Rotimi Amaechi’s projects and development in the State as untrue and misleading, saying most of the projects the APC government lays claim to were initiated and completed by the former Governor, Dr Peter Odili.
This was contained in a statement made available to Naija Center News, NCN, Jerry Needam, Special Adviser, on Media to State PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi
The PDP says the few over blown and extravagantly funded selective projects executed by Gov. Amaechi cannot be compared to the widely applaudable and enduring development legacies of Dr Peter Odili, who bequeathed to Rivers people what even the present administration in the State finds it difficult to match with.
The Party also disagrees with Rivers APC Chairman, Mr Davies Ikanya and his messenger, Mr Eze Chukuwemeka Eze, an Ebonyi man, who knows nothing about Rivers State, portraying the facilities at the so-called Greater Port Harcourt city as those only obtainable in modern cities of Europe as a grave shame which exposes their ignorance and local mentality, explaining that the state of facilities and edifices in known Europe countries cannot be compared to those of Amaechi’s political city.
The PDP again faults the APC for describing Gov Amaechi as an icon of democracy and an embodiment of development, wondering why such claim when no tangible development project is going on in the State presently, even as he (Amaechi) has abandoned State affairs and the few development initiatives he made before joining the APC and which have been paralyzed following his persistent unchecked trips outside the State for his selfish political ambition.
On the claim of rescuing Rivers State from the hands of militants, the PDP says, rather than acting in that direction, what the Governor is seen to be doing is handing over the State to cultists and militants, whom he intends to use as political thugs/mercenaries in the forth coming elections in the State. This, the Party could confirm, is evident in the continuous release from detention of over 75 youths, who were being prosecuted by the Rivers State Police Command for various criminal charges, including militancy, cultism and other social vices in the State.
While urging the APC to show records of professed improvement in Economic investment in the State, the PDP says apart from foreign contractors, the like of the German agent, who arranged the fraudulent Train the Trainers Vocational programme of the State Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the German Chamber of Craft, during which some Rivers youths were deceptively drafted to Germany supposedly for vocational training, but brought back after three weeks, frustrated.
According to the PDP, Port Harcourt assuming World Book Capital status was not the efforts of the Amaechi-APC administration, as it was the result of the collective efforts of all PDP team players from the regime of Dr Peter Odili before he (Amaechi) defected to the APC.
To also set the records straight, the PDP explains that the Amaech’s theoretical Free Education and the Free Health Care programmes in the State initiated by Dr Peter Odili and inherited by him (Amaechi) have completely failed and non-functional in all the schools and health centres in the State under his administration. The Party notes that evidence abound that students and pupils in State owned schools are compelled to pay various sums as fees for books, uniforms, use of the limited facilities and for Examinations and Sporting activities which the Governor claims are being funded by the State, contrary to Dr Odili’s idea, when the programme was initiated.
Also worrisome, is the non and delayed payment of salaries to the newly recruited teachers in Rivers State.
Still on the health sector, the PDP describes the situation as pathetic, saying, apart from the non-operational state of the Free Health Care programme, there is evident dearth of facilities and absence of drugs, medical aids, and personnel in State owned health institutions all over the State.
It is an indisputable fact that the Dr Peter Odili’s Health Care Programme was absolutely free, non fraudulent and successful, without hindrances.
The PDP further flays APC’s position on job creation in Rivers State, disclosing that the 50,000 job offers being laid claim to by the Rivers State Government are actually opportunities provided on the SURE-P Scheme, which is a federal government initiated and well funded program, carried out in the various States of the federation.
Surprised that the APC could be so careless and insensitive to the plights of Landlords and Staff of both the Banana and the Songhai Farms, the PDP observes that in addition to the poor remuneration of N25,000 per month to each staff of the Songhai Farm, the Ogoni Landowners of the Banana farm are on daily basis recounting their woes and anguish over the wrongful grabbing of their land, a situation which prompted the Ogoni communities to drag the Governor and the Rivers State Government before the National Human Rights Commission.
The PDP says rather than commending the Governor, thereby giving him wrong impression on the state of power supply in the State, the APC should better advise him to genuinely commit himself and the huge financial resources of the State to improve on the epileptic power supply in almost every part of Rivers State, noting that most of the communities in the State are now using Solar powered-light installed by Federal Government agencies, like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The Rivers State chapter of the People Democratic Party, PDP also charges the APC to impress on Amaechi the need to provide potable drinking water, as all public taps are dried up in Rivers State, and rise to the challenges of bad roads across the State.
The PDP also urges Amaechi to save Rivers people from criminals with the billions of naira monthly security votes he receives by securing lives and property, following increasing cases of killings, kidnappings, armed robberies and cultism in Rivers State.
