Agitation Intensifies as Female Commissioners, Law Makers and Women Join in the Fight Against New Rivers PDP Chairman

Felix Obuah

Since the court declaration and installation of a new Rivers State Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Felix Obuah, over the alleged democratically elected former chairman, G.U. Ake, majority of the party members have been restive.

Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Rivers chapter, had made it clear that they would not work with the new chairman and as if that was not enough, prominent women in the state have followed suit.

Women from all works of life; Commissioners, Law makers and others dressed in black gathered recently at the State House of Assembly complex to pray for peace and stability in the State.

They were protesting for what they declared as injustice by ‘Abuja political brothers’ who conspired with a High Court in Abuja to dethrone Chief G.U. Ake as the state’s PDP chairman.

Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, addressing the women said, “The reason why women are in black today is because the women are declaring to the Lord that they are sober and in worship, it is also a symbolism of humility before God that the truth alone would prevail in our land.

Women have gathered here to cry to the Lord, that never again will there be violence and injustice in the State.”

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Joeba West, in her own contribution said, “Our Governor, Governor Amaechi did not meet this State like this and so when they want to bring the good man down they will want to tamper with his personality, the things that this administration has done are not photo tricks, they are things you and I can see, and so we women have come out to cry to the Lord to turn things around because this administration was entrusted into God’s hands.”

Continuing, she said, “We will not allow some over ambitious persons who wants money to turn things around because some of us may be witnessed of what happened on the 17th of March last year at the PDP congress.

As women, we will pray to God because we have no power of our own to reign down Jin our Land,” she finished.

Sole Administrator, Greater Port Harcourt, Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam, added “we have gone to the courts before to seek justice and we got justice, this time will not be different because first and foremost the Lord reigns and he’ll see us through, because we have proof and evidence of what happened at the PDP congress held last year.

That a court at Abuja decided to assume jurisdiction, and decided to leave out evidence that even the blind can see, we are law abiding and we will use all the rule of law to explore all avenues to appeal against the judgment.

One important thing, we should also bear in mind, is the fact that all of this has not in any way removed the authority and power of the Governor of Rivers State, we have the court of justice and the rule of law will prevail,” Aleruchi said.

Member representing Port Harcourt constituency 1, at the state House of Assembly, Hon. Victoria Nyeche, in her speech said that they were going to continue fighting until justice is done.

“We cannot fold our hands and watch our brothers carry out injustice in our land, we don’t want people to take us into the dark days when men, women and children walked with their hands raised up out of fear. We like the development that is going on in the State and we want it to continue, that is why we have come to pray to God to have justice prevail in our land.”

Executive Chairman of Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area, Hon. Maureen Tamuno, adding her voice to the cry said, “Rivers Women have come together today, to call upon God and to pray for peace in the State, we do not want confusion.

For people to sit down in broad day light and say there was no election, you begin to wonder what we are teaching our children. If we continue in this life of deceit, we do not know how the court came about the judgment, but we trust that the appeal court will look critically at this judgment, we will continue this prayer in all of the Local Governments for the truth to prevail because we do not want anything to bring us back to where we were before,” she added.