Contrary to the widespread impression that he was denied control of the structures of the party in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blasted Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, accusing him of whining after initially rejecting an offer to control the party machinery.
The party maintained on Sunday that it had done everything possible for the governor but he had failed to mobilize his co-governors and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for support.
The acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ibrahim Abdulahi, who revealed this on Sunday to Tribune Online, recalled that when a vacancy existed for the post of the Rivers State chapter chairman of the party, the NWC requested Fubara to forward a nominee but he turned down the chance on the grounds that the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, should provide the nominee.
The party spokesman wondered at what point the Rivers governor realized that he had to take control of the party structure in the state.
He denied that the national leadership of the party had taken the side of the former Rivers State governor against the incumbent.
Asked why the PDP could not support Governor Fubara in his struggle with Wike for the control of Rivers PDP, he explained: “It’s a very, very long story that we will not be able to make sense of now. The kind of opportunity given to Fubara by this party is the sort that you never imagine exist from any political party to any of its members, not a governor, not a president.
“It is the sort that you would not believe any member will enjoy, any person no matter his status, whether in former president, because if I start now talking, I’ll dig out what we have been keeping in the cooler, the opportunities, the chances, the repeated chances given to this governor for him to take the leadership and take control of the structure.
“He was the first person that came to meet this NWC when they requested for the replacement of the state’s chairman of the PDP. He said no no no no, nobody should call him that they should call oga in Abuja, let oga give the person, anyone oga gives he is comfortable.
“This was the beginning of the whole of this problem. He was the one who said he cannot take decisions when Nyesom Wike is still alive. That was before the relationship went sour. So, at what point did you now stop recognizing him as your boss, that you start taking all of those decisions?
“See, why we don’t need to delve too much into the back and forth of a River State, what is important is that at the point that we have reached now, the summary of it all is that a governor with a state like Rivers, it was the same state Wike occupied that he was able to give PDP the required opposition it confronted the Buhari-led federal government for eight years.
“Fubara is sitting on that same saddle now and yet, cannot be able to rally his colleagues, governors behind him. He cannot be able to hold the National Working Committee to identify with him just because his predecessor is a minister in Abuja.
“All of us, we thought he was worthy of the attention, but the more you look the less you understand. You can’t be crying like a baby all the time. You cannot provide leadership, fight it out.
“Do you think all the governors are comfortable? Why are they in charge of their respective state except him? Something is missing about this guy. So, please, at the risk of sounding immodest, we have done the best we can do for Fubara.
“We are not supporting Wike.. I have been critical of Wike, you know. Even recently, I have said that nobody can hold PDP to ransom. We are not under anybody’s pocket. It’s on record. So, I’ve said all these sort of things I would say. If I was taking a naira from Wike, I couldn’t have gone on air to say all of these things.”
The party spokesman hinted that Fubara may face disciplinary action for his alleged anti-party activities stemming from his sponsorship of another political party in the just concluded local government council elections in the state.
He also revealed that the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State may similarly face disciplinary action for attending the swearing in ceremony and supporting the opposition local government chairmen in Rivers State.
He added: “That is a clear anti-party on the part of the governor and we will wait for him with that himself. The governor that went to identify with him during the inauguration of the elected officials himself, the chairman of the governors’ forum will be accused of anti-party.
“And this is why we are always careful to, you know, apply the sledgehammer on the heads of all of those persons accused of identifying with this thing called anti-party. Because you would soon realize that you have finished all the members of the party and you are leaving nobody behind. Everybody has one action or the other that can constitute what is anti-party in the face of law.
“So in the running party…because he went there, they were inaugurated, none of them was PDP local government chairman, none, the 21 of them. But the chairman of the PDP forum went there, gave his blessing for a sitting PDP governor to inaugurate the opposition party and then they were all joyful and in festive mood. How will you now say you are serving PDP with this action alone?”
The party spokesman affirmed that the PDP can lose the control of Rivers State following the ceding of local government control to the Action Peoples Party (APP).
“It’s a strong possibility. But if that happens, you can be sure we’ll retrieve our state in 2027. It’s just a question of time. It will be unfortunate if that happens, but from the way this whole thing is looking, we might get to that level,” the party spokesman declared.
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