The troubles of the embattled National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP seem to have worsened with the endorsement of his suspension from office by his kinsmen from the Andoni local government Council area of Rivers State on Monday.
Led by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikunyi Owaji Ibani, the kinsmen of the embattled PDP chairman during a during a solidarity visit to the State Chairman of the party, Desmond Akawor pledged their support to Governor Nyesom Wike.
The Speaker who spoke on behalf of the delegation said Andoni people will continue to support the leadership of the state to ensure there are successes at all levels in the party and the state, adding that the unity of the LGA and the party is sacrosanct.
He said they decided to visit the State Executive of PDP to express their unflinching support for Governor Nyesom Wike and to stand by whatever decision the PDP in the state takes on the Secondus matter.
He said, “As Andoni people, we know the tradition. Our interest is the interest of the party and the leader of the party in the state, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
“As a people, we have come to show our support to the party and the state. We are good politicians and we know what it means to be members of a political party. As Andoni people, we are here to show our support to the party and the state and we will continue to pledge our unalloyed support to the party and the state. We also assure the party, that right from the beginning, Andoni has always delivered massive votes for the party, and will continue to do that.
“We have been hearing, we have been seeing, we know that our own father, our own son is the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. We know that that position came to Andoni because it was zoned to the state as at the period, and that was the interest of the state as at that time.
“And if the interest, the corporate interest of the state has changed, as Andoni people, we still believe that as a sub system that joined other sub systems to join the cooperate interest of the state, the absolute interest the state has is over and above other sub interest, which is the main issue that we have laid out as it concerns this solidarity visit.
“We are to say any decision taken by the party in the state, in conjunction with the leadership of the party, as Andoni PDP, we stand by that decision, and that is why we are here today. Because in this state, PDP has always been one and as Andoni people, we don’t want to be left behind,”
The State Chairman, Desmond Akawor, thanked them for their demonstration of absolute loyalty to the party at a time like this, stressing that such display of commitment to the leadership of the party is worthy of emulation by other LGAs in the state.
However, former deputy governor of Rivers State, Engr. Tele Ikuru who is also Secondus’ cousin, was conspicuously absent from the meeting.
Tele Ikuru and Secondus are cousins from Ikuru Town in Andoni, and Secondus is said to be a major pillar behind the political forays of the former.
The absence the former Deputy Governor, Ikuru in delegation has sent tongues wagging, with many wondering whether he endorsed the action of the party leaders or against it.
Other prominent chieftains of the party present at the solidarity visit were: the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adango; Head of Service, Barr.Rufus Godwins; Chief Ibiamu Davis Ikanya; the State PDP Organising Secretary, Engr. Ofiks Kaghan; the State Ex-officio, Mrs Alom Mba; the former state deputy chairman of PDP, Hon. Charles Awortu, the LGA Party Chairman, Hon. Titus Jones; the Council Chairman, Barr. Erastus Awortu; the Vice Chairman, Mrs Tema Christopher; the National Women Leader of GDI , Mrs Patience Ibiamu, and others.
