18th November, 2014
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as false, baseless and unfounded a report credited to a governorship aspirant in the state, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs that the Ward Congresses recently conducted in the state have been cancelled.
In a statement issued by the office of the state chairman, Felix Obuah and signed by his media adviser, Jerry Needam has it that at no time was the idea of cancelling the ward congresses contemplated by the national leadership of the party let alone issuing such order.
The results of the ward congresses, the statement further noted, remain sacrosanct and irreversible because all due processes and decorum were followed in conducting the election.
The PDP however takes exception to deliberate falsehood and calculated attempt to deceive the party members by self-centered aspirants in order to create non existent friction in the party.
Rather than waste time and energies in wishing that the congresses be cancelled, all aspirants should take advantage of the prevailing peaceful atmosphere within the party across the state and the level playing ground promised by the leadership of the party to reach out to delegates with a view to gaining their support, the PDP advised.
“Elections demand high level of sensitisation, campaigning and self-marketing which most of these aspirants seem not to understand.
“Instead, they keep wasting their resources on advertorials, protests and petitions even when their real opponents from the rival parties are not sleeping, hoping on who will issue orders from above that they should reap without sowing. This is most inconceivable and unfortunately has no place in the PDP,” the statement stressed.
Obuah said that all sincere and genuine aspirants should rise up to the political realities and work to accomplish victory for the party at all levels.
Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike, former Minister for Education and gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the party has described the other 16 aspirants protesting that he hijacked the ward congresses and thus had all the delegates in his palm as “unserious people going from one office to another to seek an order that I should drop my ambition.”
Wike also dismissed online reports that claimed that he had dropped his governorship ambition.
He made this clarification at political rally in Okrika where he opened his campaign office and paid homage to ex-militant leader, Ateke Tom at his mansion at Okochiri.
Wike had said the he supports Senator Thompson Sekibo to contest for Senate for third tenure.
“We have agreed that my brother, Senator Sekibo should go back to the Senate because he has being doing well. Besides, I have not dropped my ambition for any other thing. Party members should be rest assured that those peddling the rumour are desperate politicians who are afraid of competition. Time for collection of forms is closed.”
Meanwhile, at a rally the Kalabari area, Wike said Governor Chibuike Amaechi claimed that the revenue accruing to the state dwindled because the Soku oil wells from the area were ceded to Bayelsa as an after thought and does not justify why Kalabari area is no developed.
“What about the revenue that came to the state in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011?” he quizzed.
He assured Kalabari people that if he becomes governor, he will make landmark development that will put his name in gold in Kalabari land to prove all Rivers people are one.
Wike was Governor Amaechi’s Chief of Staff until he was nominated as Minister about three years ago leading to their political differences.
Ateke had assured Wike that “As a PDP man, I will support any person that the party will bring out. As the Governor-to-be, you can on carry on, you doing well.”