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Africcon Report:PDP begins move to reconcile Amaechi, Wike, others
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Stakeholders in the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party may have begun moves to reconcile the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the crisis in the party.
The state PDP had been embroiled in a crisis since April 15, 2013 when an Abuja High Court’s ruling sacked the Chief Godspower Ake-led executive and replaced it with a new executive headed by Mr. Felix Obuah.
Saturday PUNCH gathered on Thursday that some of the founders of the party, including Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas and Chief Ombo Isokrari, had been pencilled down to head the high-powered reconciliation group.
It was also learnt that the first step towards reconciling Amaechi and Wike would have been the reinstatement of the suspended Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, but for the invasion of the state house of assembly by protesting youths.
A government official, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday, observed that the angry parties in the crisis had agreed to remain calm and allow the reconciliation team to achieve its objective of reuniting the PDP in the state.
The official, who does not want his name mentioned, expressed optimism that members of the party, who had been in enmity for a long time, would be friends again within the next two weeks.
The source maintained that if both parties would stop making inflammatory statements, the aim of the reconciliatory team would not be difficult to achieve.
“People are beginning to make conciliatory moves to ensure that peace reigns once again in the party. Whatever happens, I do know for sure that the PDP in the state will reunite.
“Those involved in the reconciliation move are elders and members of Board of Trustees of the PDP like Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas. Chief Ombu Isokrari is also part of the team.
“Such reconciliatory moves would have yielded a result if the House was allowed to sit as scheduled on Monday. But if those involved in all these disagreements stop making inflammatory statements, peace would not be difficult to come by.
“On Monday, the agenda was to present the report of the House Committee on Local Government led by Victor Odili and probably reinstate the suspended council chairman of Obio/Akpor. But the security situation did not create room for that to happen,” he stressed.
Describing Amaechi and Wike as prominent sons of Rivers State, the source explained that the people of the state were proud of them and their achievements for the state.
The source stated that members of the reconciliation team were trying to reach out to the governor, members of the house of assembly and Wike with a view to brokering a truce.
“These people have the required carriage and other qualities to settle the matter once and for all. Amaechi and Wike are prominent sons of Rivers State and we are proud of them. So, we don’t want a situation where they will continue to fight each other,” the source added.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview, the state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Felix Obuah, said he was ready to work with anybody that sincerely believes in peace.
Obuah insisted that he had no enemy in Rivers and Nigeria and said, “I am a man of peace; I am a Christian and will work with anybody that believes in peace.
“As I have always said, I am here to unite the party. I seek peace and I preach peace and I am willing to listen to any person that comes to me and members of the state executive to talk about peace.”
