PDP, APC back to trenches - Amaechi

The Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Riv­ers State chapter, Chief Felix Obuah, said the confirmation of ministerial nomination of the former governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, by All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) Senators, was an official en­dorsement of corruption and gross abuse of democracy.
Obuah, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by his media aide, Jerry Needam, said Amaechi’s confirmation despite allegation of fraud, as contained in the Justice George Omereji led – Judicial Commis­sion of Inquiry and the govern­ment White Paper, which in­dicted him, was shocking.

He said: “For throwing the most revered rules of the Sen­ate and the sanctity of the laws of the land to the winds, for the singular reason of compensat­ing an indicted party member, does not only amount to fait accompli, but also exposes the hypocrisy of the APC-led Fed­eral Government, which an­chored its campaign slogan on anti-corruption crusade.”
“I’m shocked that the APC Senators could descend so low, to fling away the report of the Ethics and Privileges Commit­tee, just to have their way, with­out minding the feelings of the people they are representing.”
Obuah, however, com­mended the courage of the PDP Senators for walking out on the chamber, which, accord­ing to him, was a historic state­ment that they were not part of Amaechi’s confirmation.
“While we look forward to the end of APC-led Federal Government, which has started on precarious feet of falsehood and deceit, we can only say that the end can never contradict its means, which in this case, is suspect,” he said.
Meanwhile, APC governor­ship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of mortgaging the future of Riv­ers people through borrowing and insecurity.
He made the accusation at the weekend while presenting the ‘Think Dakuku Project’, by the Rivers State Leader­ship Advancement Foundation (RIVLEAF) held in Port Har­court.
He expressed optimism that there would be rerun elections in the state following the nul­lification of the last governor­ship election.
He accused Wike of going on borrowing spree through the use of Internally Generat­ed Revenue (IGR) and excess crude that were yet to accrue to the state as collateral.
Peterside alleged that crime rate is rising in the state since May this year, with an average of 10 kidnap and 10 armed rob­bery reported cases.
Also, he stated that by dis­banding the state Transport Management Authority (TI­MARIV), the Wike adminis­tration did not only send 1,000 persons to the job market, but also allegedly collapsed the security function of the outfit, which assisted security agen­cies with information to fight crime.
He said: “Politics is about securing our future and the future of our children and as they say, that future belongs to young people and if that fu­ture belongs to young people, you must let them involve in decision-making process, you must let them involve in core leadership issues and I believe that RIVLEAF is one impor­tant platform to involve young people in leadership and gov­ernance. He stated: “Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi engaged an Israeli firm called C4i. They built important gate­ways to the city the moment he came he allegedly disengaged them, destroyed those gate­ways and every important in­stitution we were building for security.”
In another development, the state APC has dismissed claims that it is desperate to take over the government at all costs, in connivance with the APC-controlled Federal Gov­ernment.
In a statement by the state Chairman, Dr Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, signed by his Media Aide, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze. Ikanya said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the Fed­eral Government has no hand whatsoever, in the cases we are pursuing at the governorship, National and state Houses of Assembly tribunals across the state. It has become necessary for us to clear the air before this wicked lie being spread by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) takes root.
“The questions that arise are: “Was there any election in Rivers State? If there was, was it conducted according to the rules? The European Com­munity and other International Observers, that condemned the conduct of the elections, are they APC members? The security agents that told the tribunal that the election was a sham, are they APC members? The respected jurists of the Su­preme Court, who threw away Wike’s application to stop the Governorship Petition Election Tribunal, are they APC mem­bers?”, he queried.
Ikanya accused PDP of suf­fering from guilty conscience.
“Is PDP forgetting so soon, how it used Federal Govern­ment machinery to its advan­tage, throwing caution to the wind?
“We are a civilised group and we will continue to pursue our case before the courts be­cause, litigation is part of the electoral process. God helping us, we shall triumph in Jesus’ name. By the grace of God, we shall be vindicated,” he said.