Jonathan’s PDP faction slams visits to Gov. Amaechi

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, has described protesters hauling stones at the four Northern Governors who came to visit Governor Chibuike Amaechi in Port Harcourt today as peaceful protesters.

It said the demonstrators were Rivers state youths who came to the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, to show disapproval of the visit.

Jerry Needam, who was until three weeks ago,the Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, but who is now the special adviser, media to the Felix Obuah-led faction of PDP said that “while Amaechi remains recalcitrant and is bent on creating more confusion in the state”, his information commissioner, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari “portrayed the state in bad light to the unsuspecting Rivers and the Nigerian people.”

“On the visit by the Governors of Jigawa, Kano, Niger and Adamawa States as well as Professor Wole Soyinka, we see it as unnecessary, and it’s only meant to aggravate the political crisis in the state.”

Needam claimed that these visitors from across the country are encouraging Amaechi not to have regard for the Rivers people, elders and constituted authorities.

The PDP faction condemned in very strong terms attempt to link the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike to the protest against the visit of the four Northern governors to Government House, Port Harcourt.

“This is another strategy to divert the attention of the public from the numerous plans by Gov. Amaechi to ensure there is no peace in the state, so that he will continue to rip off the state with his few acolytes”, the PDP Media Adviser declared.

Thousands of anti–Amaechi youths under the political group called Grassroot Democratic Initiative GDI which a political group of Wike had stormed the Airport to disrupt the visit of Governor of Jigawa,Niger,kano and Adamawa to Amaechi,

The Governors were held hostage at the VIP lounge of Airport for several hours before the arrival of the pro- Amaechi youths who confronted them.

This gave room for the Governors to speed off in a convoy,but not without stones being hauled at their vehicles.

The visit of the four Northern PDP Governors to Amaechi is seen as an indication that not all PDP members are happy with the attempt to remove Amaechi as Governor since he won the chairmanship of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum in May this year by the margin of 19 to 16 against Governor Jonah Jang sponsored by President Goodluck Jonathan.