• Rep Awaji-Inombek Abiante To Face Panel In View Of Suspension From His Ward And LGA
The Caretaker State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rivers State, Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron held a meeting with members of the Caretaker Committee at the State and Local Government levels of the party.
He tasked the LGA Party Chairmen to brief the members of their various Committees and the Executives at the Ward level about the revalidation exercise in preparation of the congress slated to begin next month.
He thanked the Man of God who preached today, Mr. Adielle Vote, he also thanked the workers at the party office for being steadfast with the devotion of the party, adding that he is elated to see that the lasting legacy of prayers, left by His Excellency, Ambassador Desmond Akawor has been sustained.
He took his time to outline some pertinent issues, stating:
“I have kept quiet for too long, not because I’m a weak leader, but because I don’t want to join to destroy the house that I built. I was part of those that built this house that we are today, because right from primaries, right from GDI, to the campaigns when we went to the 23 LGAs of Rivers State, preaching to the people of Rivers, telling them telling them the reason why Siminalayi Fubara should be the Governor, and it was possible because of the good works of former Governor, Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike
In every local government you go to in Rivers State, there are signature projects that Wike did. That is the reason why people of Rivers State voted for us (PDP). So for someone to come and say today, “who is Wike?”. I don’t think you’re correct and i will not fold my hands to watch people say “who is Wike?”. Wike is a man who has made a name in PDP
PDP we hear today is Wike, even when it was turbulent, so many people left, Wike stood and rebuilt the party up to exco. For me, I keep telling people, those are are saying these things, can’t come to me and talk. Since 1999, I’ve been in PDP, I was Secretary in Obio Akpor LGA for eight years, I was Chairman of the party in Obio Akpor, I was Deputy Chairman of the party for four years, I was Acting Chairman for months, today, I am the Caretaker Committee Chairman. I’ve paid my dues in this party and that is the reason why, I stand tall to talk about PDP in Rivers State. I’ve never derailed, I’ve never left PDP for one day.
Those who left PDP for their selfish interest have come back and want to balkanise this party. When I became Acting Chairman, I envisaged this coming and I called the Governor, “Sir let us not balkanise this party, the way it is going, using the name of thanksgiving”. I was in Tribunal with Secretary, and the former Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, for two months in Abuja, bringing in witnesses for the Governor and at the end we had victory at the tribunal, up to the appeal and up to the last day of Supreme Court, I was there with Secretary. So for someone to come and tell me, Aaron is not PDP, I don’t know whether the person is mad. All the while, Wike was there up till the end of that tribunal. This was a man who everybody in this state said, Mr. Project, Infrastructural this and that, today we have forgotten. We will go to a function and people will expect me to talk against Wike, I will not because the same people doing it today will do it tomorrow.
We worked for Governor for crying out loud. I worked for Siminalayi Fubara and that is a man I cherish so much and that was why I kept quiet. But I will not continue to keep quiet and this party will collapse, no. Our tenure has elapsed, caretaker has been formed. While i was in Acting capacity as Chairman, in this party, there was a lot of insinuations. Ewor went on air and said that I was the GDI Chairman. For the records, GDI does not have a Chairman, they have a President General and that is Bright Amaewhule. And then for somebody to come and say, my own exco, to go for a function and say I’m not PDP Chairman, that is another misconduct. But because of my usual way, I kept quiet. I would’ve suspended them from the party. Both himself, the former Publicity Secretary, Sydney Gbara. These are people who were very loyal to me. Sydney will be speaking on behalf of the party, without consultation with the Chairman. And I kept quiet. We have Commissioner for Information who speaks for Government, not Publicity Secretary of the Party who speaks for Government. Once an emerged candidate of a party wins election, the Commissioner becomes your mouthpiece, for the party is the Publicity Secretary but Sydney never had any recourse to me as the Chairman of the party but all these things I kept quiet.
If I was the kind of person that was power drunk, ordinarily I would’ve suspended them. But all these things, I said let the tenure elapse. And now the tenure has elapsed and we name another new exco which has emerged today, which is you and I.
Sydney Gbara can no longer speak for the party, he is not the Publicity Secretary and I’m here to tell him as the Chairman. I am the Chairman in any capacity, from the Acting to the Caretaker and we must maintain discipline at the various levels.
There is no way someone will just come and speak on behalf of the party. I’m the man in charge of leadership of the party. And as the man, I will also tell you those who will work with me. The National Secretariat has appointed members of this Caretaker from the state level, to the ward level and those are the authentic people that will represent the party for now until another congress holds.
For me, Let me tell you one thing that baffles me, after we went to the National Working Committee meeting in Abuja, where we were told that our tenure had elapsed, from Ward to the State and they will form Caretaker from the ward to the state. I left because I felt that since there is nothing that I can do, than to loom at the party with the way that they would do their things, behold there was one of the days in my house when I got a call from the Governor that he wanted to see me and I went. He said he called me because he got a letter that I was the Caretaker Chairman for the next three months to conduct elections for the congress. I said His Excellency, I am not aware of this but haven told me this, I can’t do this work since you and the leader are not parleying. I would prefer that you call him for us to work as a team. From day one, I got into office I’ve told you people that all I need is wisdom and I’ve been praying for wisdom.
As I am like this, I am ready, any time the Governor calls me, I am ready because he is the Governor to work with him. We are here to serve the state. Let no person be biased. From day one I told my exco let us work as a team, to ensure that we bring peace. But all they did was to balkanise the party. I told the Governor they want to balkanise the party and I mentioned their names. The same people today are the other way shouting simplified. What are we simplifying? I campaigned for the Governor, I voted for him, so for me to go from one local government to the other, I don’t see any need. We are not doing campaigns. We nave win the election, he has won the election and I told him all these things. So what are they moving, bringing sentiments, dividing the party. Infact if not for the kind of exco we have, we would’ve suspended these people. But I said no, there’s no way that when you are looking for peace, you aggravate the situation. Otherwise, all of them that are making noise now, would’ve been suspended from the party, because they’re not helping the party, these are the things I told the governor that if we continue this way, we will not help the party. And here we are today. Everyday, they are moving from one place to the other, using the name of PDP where I am the leader. I can’t take it from anybody. We are facing congress. If you’re a party member, come to the party Secretariat, go and register yourself. We will soon embark on registration. Any moment from now, we will go to Abuja and pick materials, bring out the new membership register. If you are a registered member, then you have the right to vote. A new exco has emerged and they’re authentic names so anybody that is parading himself or herself as a former exco, is neither here nor there. Then what are we talking about? At the end of the day, I met the governor after we spoke, the next day what I heard again the same Governor who called me on a Wednesday, on a Thursday, went to a function and said our list is fake. The letter I’ve not seen the one that National wrote to me, it was through social media I saw it. Sending letter left and right, “fake list, fake list”, I don’t know what constitutes fake list. It was the Governor who told me I was the Caretaker Chairman and the next day, I saw my name. I am not a fake man. For me, I want to tell all of you that are seated here, that we must keep this party moving. But I want to urge all of you, as we will soon embark on membership drive. In the NEC meeting, we were told to embark on membership drive. Whoever that comes to register. Please, party Chairmen and Secretaries that are here, go back to your various LGAs and Wards, tell our people to come out enmasse and register, as members of our party. We need people. I will not go to APC, I’m a PDP man. It’s in my blood. I told the President.
So for those of you, who are going here and there, these are people who benefited from Wike yesterday, they collected cars and money and today they’ve come that Wike is a bad man. Who told you Wike is a bad man? I reject it.
Don’t come and run someone down. So many awards he won in this state. No Governor I stand to be challenged, did what Wike did during his tenure, no Governor in this country..
Today he is the FCT Minister, go to Abuja, enter taxi, it’s Wike, Wike you are hearing, then come to Rivers State, everyday they go, they’re spoiling him. You cannot spoil a man God has blessed. Yesterday you spoke good of him. Today you are spoiling him. God will not forgive you. And those are people who have benefited. I know so many of them, who have told me, thank Governor Wike for me. Thank oga for me, the man you told me to thank yesterday, today I should be insulting him? I cannot do it. As I am now, whatever the current Governor has done for me, in one way or the other, even when he was not a Governor, I keep appreciating.
So why will I come, what I will do, is to handle microphone and insult the governor, insult Wike, if that is what you want me to do, I will not do it. That wasn’t my home training, I have a family background where I come from, humility lives in me. I have a family name to protect. So if I want money I should carry microphone and insult Governor Siminalayi Fubara or Wike so that they will give me money? No I cannot do it.
This was a man, in my lifetime, I say it before all of you, I walked from stadium to Obio Akpor. We escorted him as a hero. People went, brought wrappers and spread it on the floor, they were singing praises. Today you want me to carry microphone as State Chairman, Ewor will carry microphone and call me GDI Chairman. Since they gave him appointment, has he talked again? He was impersonating as the Acting Chairman. This was a man I took to the Governor, say Aaron took him to the Governor. So many of them I took them to say, oga this person wants to work with us, today they want to spoil me. Who told you, they can do that? A laborer deserves his wages.
So we are here to do the needful and enjoy the fruits of our labour.
If you trace the history of the party and how I have worked, till today. Thoose who Wike built houses for, did everything for them, today Wike is a bad man, in your own eyes. In my eyes, he is not a bad man.
Governor has just started. The man wants to do work, people are just going behind to destroy. These were people that because of them, Wike had issues in this state. All he said was, we want this one to go. The same man he said he wants to go, they have all come back to serve him.
He paid his dues, he paid the sacrifice, to say, this man is the man we want, other aspirants, please calm down, it’s turn by turn. After him, another person can go. Today he is a bad man, the same people who were fighting me at the units, are the same people simplified. Who told you that?
So me, I’ve told the Governor, I am not only supporting you, I’ve working with you. Instead of us to say let’s work and see how we can bring peace to the state, all they’re saying is “oga no gree o”.
Be careful of reconciled enemies because somebody who never supported you is now coming to say I stand by you.
Are you standing by him because you voted for him? We went round the whole LGAs and you never came. Now you are saying I’m standing by him and they will thank you for standing by him. At the time of eating? No, God is a rewarder of all good works. So I felt I should let you know that this Caretaker Committee has come to stay. We are unstoppable. We are going to conduct congresses. The ward registers and cards will be given to you. As long as we get the items from the National Secretariat, we will call for a meeting and give it to you. Let them come and register. You cannotstay outside and be simplified when you are not in PDP. The governor is a PDP person, everybody should come and register. When you register, we will talk about you coming for congress. You can just be making noise everyday. I know a lot of them have preparing to leave the party. They’re fair weather friends. 2027 is at hand. These same persons will be the first to take Governorship forms. They’ve been doing it. They did it to Wike, is it this one they wouldn’t do?
So be careful of reconciled enemies. They’re coming for a purpose. Not for the party.
So every ward Chairman, Secretary, Chairman of the party should do the following for the party. One, membership drive, two, we must apply discipline. Anybody that is found wanting for any reason that is not in line for the party to move forward, do not hesitate to take disciplinary actions. This party must move forward.
Day before yesterday, we got a letter from Andoni, suspending Honourable Abiante. Having been suspending at the Ward level and ratified at the LGA level, we have set up a panel to give him a fair hearing before knowing what next to do. This is Abiante that was begging me to beg Wike during campaign. And wike discovered all of them, today Wike is a bad man. He was crying at the campaign office. The same Abiante was on national television with Ugochinyere, buying a matter that doesn’t concern him, to go against the National Working Committee and we were at the NWC meeting before the NEC, that matter came up when Kaduna State Chairman said their National member went for press conference concerning another State when issues in kaduna State had not been addressed. It was there that they mentioned Abiante and Co., plotting how to remove the National Working Committee and the same man now has been found wanting from his ward, to LGA, finally, it has landed at the State.
Secretary, set up the committee. If you find him free, I don’t have any problem with it. But I’m telling you, he has an issue already at the National which is not within our purview to address.”
Hon. Aaron used the opportunity of the meeting, to outline some major portfolios at the State level:
Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron – Chairman.
Dr. Benibo George – Secretary.
Hon. John Hon John Ndubueze Nwachukwu – Deputy Chairman.
Hon. Soni Ejekwu – Rivers East Senatorial District Vice Chairman.
Barr. Shedrack Chukwu – Rivers West Senatorial District Vice Chairman.
Barr. Kingsley Chuku – Legal Adviser.
Hon. Prince Ikpechi Oriji- Youth Leader.
Hon. Mrs. Mirian Ogbonna – Woman Leader.
Dr. Kenneth Yowika – Publicity Secretary.
Joy Oyaghiri-Fagbemi,
May 2, 2024.
