By Ferdinand Nuakuu.
A serious intra-party crisis which threatens to blow the party apart is brewing in PDP in Ogoni land over 200 million naira mobilization fund for a new group called “SIM Volunteer Group” paid to a new decampee from the APC to PDP in the area.
The new decampee, a professional youth leader in the past 40 years, decamped to PDP from APC on the promise made to him by Mr Sim Fubara, the PDP Governorship candidate in Rivers State, that he would provide massive fund for “SIM Volunteer Group in Ogoni” which would be headed by him.
Sources in the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, confirmed that the payment of 200 million naira was made to the perpetual youth leader yesterday, a development that has triggered pervasive discontent in the PDP family in Ogoni land.
Old PDP members in the Ogoni area, who have been with the party through thick and thin, have interpreted the largess paid to the new decampee as a vote of no confidence in them by Mr Sim Fubara.
A prominent PDP youth activist who craved anonymity expressed disappointment, frustration and discontent amongst the PDP faithful who have started feeling that their years of sacrifice and commitment to the party is all in vain.
“Why would this decampee with a long history of unreliability just come to to the party and be empowered in such a staggering fashion when those of us who have toiled for the party all these whole have not been given anything? Why does Mr Sim Fubara think that sacrifice and commitment does not matter?
“We are are watching keenly and if they continue to treat us with disdain in this manner, what we would do in this election will shock them”.
“If the new decampee feels that he can just come to the party drive roughshod over us then he is making a big mistake. Good a thing the coming election is very competitive and we will sit down to think of what is best for our people”, he concluded.