… Says Abe, Aguma, other dissenters responsible for party’s loss in 2015
… Gives reasons why Dakuku was a better candidate than Abe
… Commends APC Statutory Members for Shunning Aguma’s inaugural Exco Zoom meeting
By Ibrahim Bakare
The unfortunate imposition of Hon. Igo Aguma as Sole Administrator of the Rivers APC by a Port Harcourt High Court was greeted with widespread condemnation and perceived by a sizable population of party faithful, lovers of democracy and people of goodwill as a gimmick to deepen internal wrangling and further throw the party into perpetual hostility in a bid to achieving some outlandish ends, alien to the values of society and ethos of unity and good brotherliness.
Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said barely a week into his forceful affixation on the party, Aguma has swiftly swung into action, playing the spoilers script for which he was hired and aggravating the agonies of party members whose fortunes have been stocked in limbo.
In a statement circulated to media houses, the party chief expressed displeasure over the first public speech of Igo Aguma after his horrendous Court ordination, where he alleged that the emergence of Dr. Dakuku Peterside as the governorship canditae of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections is one fundamental divisive factor in the party.
Describing Aguma’s comment as laughable, Eze said the former Reps member is merely playing a script penned and handed him by satanic collaborators and conflict entrepreneurs who are hell-bent on wrecking the party and dimming the light of a rising national figure and former Rivers Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and other emerging personalities within the State.
Dismissing Aguma’s claim, the party stalwart maintained that Dr. Dakuku’s candidature was totally in order and his election as the party’s flagbearer was unanimous and welcomed by members, delegates and stakeholders and therefore cannot be considered a basis for the the party’s problems.
He however accused Senator Abe of instigating the unending rivalry owing to his tumultuous and inordinate ambition which did not enjoy popular consent.
Throwing light on how Peterside emerged as Consensus Candidate to fly the flag of APC during the 2015 general elections, Eze said: “Rivers State APC by 2015 was divinely set up to address three principal injustices visited on some sections of the state. One of them was addressing the unjust situation of the Riverine areas of the state not occupying the seat of power since 1999, after the eight years of Dr. Peter Odili and the eight years of the then Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi – all from the upland section of the state”.
“The second injustice is that meted on the Ogonis: having not produced a Governor, Deputy Governor or Speaker of the State House of Assembly since the creation of the State as far back as 1970”.
“The last injustice is that sighted in the South-East Senatorial Zone. The zone has not produced the Governor since the creation of the state; Rivers East having produced Dr. Odili while Rivers West produced Rt. Hon. Dr. Amaechi, leaving the South-East in the cooler all these years”.
Eze stated that addressing the three major issues at the same time is impossible for the leadership of Rivers State APC and any human organisation because there can only be one governor who must come from a particular section of the state.
However the party leadership in its wisdom, achieved two of the three goals by conceding power to the South-East Senatorial Zone and also resolved to shift power from the upland to the riverine area of the state. This zone presented four great leaders in the persons of Most Distinguished Senator Magnus Abe, who was representing the zone in the upper chambers of the National Assembly, Engr Tele Ikuru, the then Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Dr. Dakuku Peterside and Barr. George Feyi, the then Secretary to the Rivers State Government, among others.
Any of them so chosen will defeat whoever any other party may present in the 2015 elections. The party decided to address the riverine issue: Hon. Dr. Chief Dakuku Adol Peterside from the Riverine area of Opobo/Nkoro LGA and a member of the Federal House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) then who is a symbol of unity among the Ogoni, riverine and upland sections of the state, became generally accepted to fly the flag of the APC in the 2015 gubernatorial election in Rivers State.
From the standpoint of truth, this did not go down well with Abe and his cohorts who vowed to scuttle the chances of victory at the polls, and surely they did. Everyone who followed through events within the APC during the 2015 elections can attest to this.
In an attempt to appease Abe, he was encouraged to go back to the Senate and the party did all within her powers to ensure that he gets victory, but unknown to the party, Abe still harboured evil agenda which was displayed to the climax during the build up to the 2019 general elections and consequently, Rivers APC could not boost of any elective position at the national or state level.
In furtherance to addressing the Ogoni issue, Dakuku Peterside, in his acceptance speech said, “I heard that some 150 young men and women were at the Government House, Port Harcourt, three days ago, Ogoni people love me and are very hospitable. I grew up in Ogoni, where I spent over ten years. I still have many childhood friends from Ogoni. The protesters are not Ogoni, but people from other political parties, who want to cause confusion. The opposition parties sponsored the 150 youths to protest. It is nothing to worry about. I was at the forefront of Ogoni struggle in 1990, when the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) was put in place”.
“Ogoni people are peace-loving and not violent. It was when I was Rivers Commissioner for Works that most of the roads in Bori (traditional headquarters of Ogoniland) were tarred. I will continue to protect Ogoni interests. APC in Rivers State cannot be in reverse gear. We will place emphasis on equity, justice and fairness. We will ensure inclusive government. Everybody will be carried along. I am an Ijaw, but I will be the governor of Rivers State. We can together build a greater Rivers State.”
The impressive and hearth-warming speech of Dakuku Peterside made no sense and impact to Abe and his team as they were already determined to ensure that the Dakuku and the APC never merit the Brick House.
We entered the battle field to wrestle power with a seasoned political War Lord like Wike with a divided house but PRETENDING to be working together. The consequences of the internal division is what most of us are still suffering today.
Eze maintained that Dakuku is one of the most detribalized Rivers man around, the most effective and organized public official and with what he demonstrated as the DG of NIMASA even the blind can attest that this man would have turned Rivers State into the best State in Africa if not for the devious plot of Abe’s group that have kept Rivers State in its present sorry state.
It is still on record that this young man ran the best and most inclusive governorship campaign ever in the country which is being talked about to date.
Eze is saddened that Aguma having benefitted so much from Dakuku could have the gut to utter such a trash knowing that after the 2015 elections , Dakuku kept the home front intact; holding all inclusive Leadership meeting every forth night and inclusive General stakeholders meeting every Month .
Eze recalled that even after the Supreme Court concluded the Governorship case, Dakuku went from LGA to LGA campaigning for party candidates who were on the ballot for repeat election of March 2016 including that of Senator Abe so what exactly do Aguma and his misguided group want from Amaechi and Dakuku to continue to sustain division in the party.
Eze reiterated that it is very sad and unfortunate for anybody who knew the history of APC in Rivers State to describe Dakuku as the brain behind the division currently facing the party which time ks is murdering the truth and I wish to urge Aguma to apologise to Dakuku and withdraw and desist from petty and unfounded allegations if truly he is in for peace, unless he is resolved to implementing the satanic agenda of keeping the party in perpetual turmoil and frustrating the fortunes of young people.
In summary, Dakuku’s candidature represented the yearning of Rivers people, they wanted a bright, humble, God fearing, energetic, focused leader who will unite every Rivers man as Governor. His candidature was also to solve the agitation of the people of Rivers South East Senatorial district and Riverine Ijaws rolled into one.
Eze Commended the party’s Statutory Members for shunning Aguma’s makeshift State Executive Council during its alleged meeting of 13th June, 2020 thereby leaving him alone with Elder Chidi Wihioka with few of Aguma’s Hotel staff to hold their meeting in an unknown destination.
This simply proves that both the Statutory members and
stakeholders of the party are fully aware of the sinister agenda of Aguma and those sponsoring him and decided to maintain a reasonable distance.
The party chief further averred that in as much as the party yearns for peace, a graveyard peace stewed in falsehood and hidden agenda and championed by a cosmetic party member and proponent of internal hostility cannot proffer a workable template that can usher in the needed peace but can only serve to achieve its clandestine ends.
