New Rivers PDP chairman arrrives PH , vows to probe Amaechi

WHY THEY ARE AFTER AMAECHI




Gov Amaechi under GEJ Fire


Felix Obuah in from Abuja to carry out the PDP manifesto

For over six hours on Friday, the Port Harcourt International Airport was turned into a carnival centre as thousands of PDP supporters thronged the airport, singing, dancing, displaying masquerades as they waited for the arrival of the new Rivers state chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah, from Abuja.

The number of supporters who showed up to welcome the openly anti-Amaechi PDP chairman is not a good portent for the Rivers governor.

In fact, yesterday, Felix Obuah, and Walter Opuene, the new chairman and secretary respectively, declared intention to probe the governor and other public office holders in the state.

Obuah said:

"We will henceforth and without further delay put in place appropriate machinery and mechanism to hold all public officials, especially political appointees at all levels of government responsible for their actions that derive from the party’s social contract with the people.

“We will immediately set up a committee that will exercise oversight responsibilities over the conduct of elected officials from councillors, chairmen and the vice, legislators at all levels of government and government at the state level.

“The committee will audit the activities of all elected officials vis-a-vis the projects on ground and the budgetary provisions therein to confirm if fiscal responsibility has been adhered to.

“Officials that acquit themselves creditably will receive commendation from the party, while officials who fall short or are involved in corrupt practices, negligence, recklessness or failure to comply with due process will be referred to the relevant anti-graft agencies so that the chances of the party at the next election will not be compromised.

“The party calls on its members to demonstrate patriotism by providing details of activities of elected party officials that are commendable and those that fall short and need to be investigated.”

The new executives replaced the one led by Godspower Ake, which was loyal to the governor. With the victory of Felix Obuah and his subsequent swearing-in, the hawks are finally swooping in on the Rivers governor. His influence over the Governors' Forum is being whittled down following the setting up of the Godswill Akpabio led, PDP Governors' Forum; and his commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, was recently invited by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to clarify her statement on the recent purchase of aircraft by the state government.

According to reports:

Two anti-Amaechi groups - PDP Rivers State Legislators’ Forum (RSLF) and the Concerned Elders of PDP in Rivers State - are also up- in- arms against Amaechi and his faction for their alleged use of ‘Oga and Madam at the top’ comments, in describing the forces that procured the court judgement nullifying the election of the Godspower Ake-led executive committee of the state chapter of the PDP.

The court had ordered the immediate inauguration of a rival faction, led by Obuah as the dully recognised exco of the state chapter. The national leadership of the PDP had sworn-in the Obuah-led exco the very next day.

Leader of the PDP Rivers State Legislators’ Forum, Mr. Kingsley Chinda said the ‘Oga and Madam at the top’, comment made by Honourable Asita, referred to President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience.

Chinda stated: “The ‘Oga and Madam at the top’ words used by Honourable Asita in his press statement in apparent reference to Mr. President and his wife, are to say the least, awfully scurrilous, derogatory and disrespectful of the office and person of Mr. President and his wife, more so as it is coming from a supposed Honourable member of the House of Representatives and a very senior lawyer as he ought to be.”

Also reacting to the ‘Oga and Madam at the top’ comments, leader of the Concerned Elders of PDP in Rivers State, Chief Sergeant Awuse described Asita’s reaction as utter nonsense, saying that his group does not know any such Oga and Madam at the top.

When Obuah arrived Port Harcourt, he was accompanied by scores of Abuja-based politicians of Rivers State origin.

Obuah, aka Go-Round said at the airport reception: “I will unite the party. I will bring back all the aggrieved members, who left the PDP. The teeming supporters at the airport to receive me indicate that I have the support of party members in the state.

“PDP members in Rivers state should not treat the party as a pressure group. We must be very careful and respect constituted authority. The party under my leadership will not tolerate unguarded utterances against President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the leader of our party. I thank God for my victory.”