By Daniel Abia/Port Harcourt
Residents of Rivers State and indeed Nigerians have been urged not to be misled by the recent confessional statements of the state Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, that he is submissive to President Goodluck Jonathan as his “senior”. Amaechi had Thursday last week said he was totally submissive to Jonathan but quickly added that while everyone is asking for peace, he would continue to ask for his social justice.
In a reaction to this, PDP Rivers State chapter said Amaechi’s declaration of his submission to President Jonathan is “deceptive” and should not be taken seriously.
The party argued that the governor was merely playing to the gallery as the series of “rebellious activities engaged in by him do not reflect such position”.
Responding to the statement, Governor Amaechi through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), David Iyofor, described the Felix Obuah led PDP as a bunch of jokers.
“Those people are just a bunch of jokers. It is Obuah’s faction of the PDP that is deceptive. When did divergent views on issues of principle become disrespectful!”, he wondered. But PDP said rather than making any commitment to justify such statement, the governor has consistently demonstrated acts of disrespect and insubordination to the President and the leadership of the party on which platform Jonathan stands and also serves as the national leader.
A statement on Sunday by Jerry Needam, Special Adviser on Media to the State, Chairman, PDP further noted that it was only a fool that would believe such “sarcastic statement by Amaechi”, wondering why someone who does not respect the President’s wife would profess to be loving the President and submitting to his authority. It recalled that Governor Amaechi has proved beyond reasonable doubt that he is opposed to the programmes and policies of Mr. President, a position he has upheld since the inception of Jonathan’s administration, adding that Amaechi has continued to fight against such programmes through his sponsorship of the activities of the opposition parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). To further attest to “his insolence against Jonathan”, PDP said, Amaechi does not only identify with, but he is a prominent financier of any group of “aggrieved” politicians, particularly the rebel Governors (G7) and the Baraje-led “New PDP”, who are bent on destroying and ridiculing Jonathan’s administration.”