Anietie Udobit, Abuja
The Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s faction has moved to resume work at the party’s secretariat along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
Grow your business with us
The decision followed the Rivers State High Court judgment that nullified the party’s ward, local government, and State congresses conducted by the faction loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Party stalwarts loyal to Fubara announced that they will work on acting capacities considering that their tenures expired on March 2024 before the purported nullified congresses.
Consequently, the Chairman of the Rivers West Senatorial District, Robinson Ewor, declared that he is the state’s acting chairman and Dr. Feilx Nkor is the acting secretary among others.
Ewor said the judgment has restored the party’s leadership in Rivers State to the legitimate members.
In a swift reaction, however, the Publicity Secretary of PDP loyal to Wike, Dr. Kenneth Yorwika, said Ewor and his group cannot take over the party’s secretariat.
He added that the matter has been appealed and awaits the appellant court ruling.
He warned that attempts to do so are tantamount to crisis and cautioned against such.
According to him, the party is doing everything possible to ensure peace and has warned against issues that may cause crisis.
Speaking in Port Harcourt yesterday, Ewor assured that his leadership would implement the court ruling, which does not recognize Chukwuemeka Aaron, Martin Amaewhule, and 26 others as members of the PDP.
Ewor accused the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and other party members of manipulating a directive from the PDP National Secretariat to extend the tenure of former executives.
He noted that the alteration led to the controversial election that brought Chukwuemeka Aaron and others into office.
He said: “The court barred Aaron Chukwuemeka and Co from parading themselves as members and executives of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state and various levels.
“What this judgement means to us is that the party is being restored to the original owners. The party is restored to the leader of the party, the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara.
“Going forward from today, we are here to inform Rivers People, the teeming supporters of our party and indeed Nigerians that the court ruling is being welcomed by members of the party at the state level. And that we will not only adhere or obey the court ruling; we will go ahead to implement the court ruling to the letter.”
Ewor explained that the PDP is focused on reclaiming power at the federal level in 2027.
He, however, called on the party’s National Leadership to recognize Governor Siminialayi Fubara as the leader of the PDP in Rivers State.
He said, “To that extent, we have taken a step further to assure Nigerians that the party that was originally handed over by Wike and Co to members of the APC that we have taken over our party. As we speak, those that were elected, including Aaron Chukwuemeka, are no longer members of the PDP; they are members of the All Progressives Congress.
“Martin Amaewhule and his colleagues are members of the APC; they are no longer members of the PDP. They have defected. And the defection stands. To that extent, there is no way you can handover our party, a party built on solid foundations and trust, founded by patriotic Nigerians and truly national in nature, to members of the APC.
“If you watch the purported congresses they held, you will see people like Martin Amaewhule from APC and other defected members of the House.
“They are not members of PDP, there is no way they can lead the party at the state. So the court has restored the party back to us and we have taken over our party.
“We want to use this medium to call on the National executives of the party to, as a matter of urgency, implement to the letter the judgment of the Rivers State High Court.
“To, as a matter of urgency, hand over all the reigns of the party to the leader of the party at the state level, who is the governor of the state.
“This way, we can give Nigerians hope that come 2027, there is going to be a virile opposition. That we are going to provide an alternative to the current mess and decay in our system.”