Mixed reactions trail threats by Governor Chibuike Amaechi to dump PDP

Mixed reactions have been trailing threats by the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Chinyere Igwe, former member of the House of Representatives who spoke on the suspension of the governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, from the Peoples Democratic Party and his threat of leaving the party, said that the party would lose nothing if the governor should leave.

He said the state would still win in 2015 with or without governor.

“Governor Amaechi as a party man, as a governor knows what is good for him. As a PDP member, you must live by the rules and regulations of the party. Where you refuse to do that that means you are choosing the alternative to leave. So nobody has asked him to leave, but if he leaves, PDP will still remain. 

“PDP won’t die, so many have left the party in the past and still came back. This is not the first sitting governor that will leave a party. Many sitting governors have left, nothing unimaginable will happen, heaven will not fall,” Igwe said.

Igwe said the governor should lift the suspension on Obio/Akpor LGA to facilitate his recall to the party.

“I will advise the governor to seek for true reconciliation and accept others the way he was accepted. He should lift the suspension against Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, withdraw the court cases, and pay the 5 members of Rivers State House of Assembly their allowances.  He seized peoples’ allowances and have destabilised them and yet he is crying from the other side. Who doesn’t want the rule of law, what is good for Mr A is also good for Mr B.”

In another reaction, Meshach Karawi, of University of Port Harcourt said he is against the exit of the governor from PDP. He however called for a genuine reconciliation to end the crisis.

“I will ask the governor to get people together and make efforts at seeking reconciliation and discussing the problems he has with the party and with whomever else. Leaving the PDP is not a solution and expelling him from the party is also not a solution.”

Meanwhile, another university don and former deputy chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Lawrence Chukwu, has faulted Chinyere Igwe on his comment that Governor Amaechi’s defection from the party will not have any effect on the activities of the party.

He said the people of the state will defect with the governor if he eventually takes the decision.

“If the governor of Rivers State leaves PDP, Rivers state will not go for PDP. Wherever Amaechi is going, the majority of the politicians and the grass root will go with Amaechi. Chinyere Igwe knows that and he is also aware that PHALGA where he comes from has majority of supporters of Amaechi,” Chukwu said.

Chukwu also warned Chinyere Igwe to stir clear of the Obio/Akpor Local Goveernment issues as the people of the area have endorsed the suspension of its chairman, Timothy Nsirim and his team. 

“It is not the governor that suspended the local government officials; it is the State House of Assembly. They said suspension and not dissolution and it is based on plethora of petitions. And of course, he is not from Obio/Akpor Local Goverenment Area, those of us that are from Obio/Akpor Local Govenrment Area know that the House of Assembly is right in suspending the chairman, his vice and councilors pending on when the investigations are over. They should allow the investigation to go on first.”