By Jude Opara, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rubbished the reported declaration of support for the administration of President Bola Tinubu by some key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and well know allies of former Vice President, Waziri Atiku Abubakar in Rivers state, describing it as hypocritical.
The APC further said, it was highly disturbing that the same characters who said the most unthinkable things against Tinubu as its presidential candidate in 2023, are now the same persons offering support, describing them as tongue-in-cheek politicians and over-night pseudo lovers of Mr. President.
Chief Tony Okocha, the caretaker chairman of the party in Rivers state, stated this on Friday while addressing newsmen at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
It could be recalled that a group which described itself as members of the defunct PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers state had on Thursday declared support for Tinubu.
The group also said it was solidly behind the Rivers State Governor, Siminilayi Fubara as the undisputed leader of the PDP in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Port Harcourt, on Thursday, the former director general of PDP campaign council, Dr. Abiye Sekibo said they decided to declare support for President Tinubu and Governor Fubara.
The group however did not fail to throw a dart at the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, asking Tinubu to be wary of him and possibly sack him.
However, Okocha said the attempt to malign the APC in Rivers, the President and FCT Minister would not succeed.
He said it was unfortunate that instead of concentrating on governance and conducting local government elections, which was part of the resolutions reached at the peace meeting brokered by the president, Gov. Fubara would embark on spending N150 million each week in the guise of holding thanksgiving services.
He said; “When governors of states like Lagos and others are working, ours is holding weekly thanksgiving services. Each of those thanksgiving services gulped 150m. What value has that added to us. You don’t use state funds to fund that kind of charade.
“Let him go and conduct local government elections. He should test the waters. He has been governor for quite some time now. That was one of the eight resolutions reached with the President”.
Speaking on the antecedents of the PDP elements, Okocha said; “The undeniable fact of the matter is that all those who lined up on that table and signatories to the text in issue, are still ardent believers of Atiku Abubakar. Kindly take a look at the flex banner behind the table where they sat and see the picture/name of Atiku Abubakar. It was deliberate and intentional. Res ipsa loquitor.
“These persons can never forgive President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nyesom Wike and APC Rivers over the sin of their woeful electoral defeat.
“Of course, it follows therefore, that anyone whose action or inaction, contributed to their dangerous fall, is inadvertently their sworn enemy. No wonder, they are surreptitiously targeting to cut out a pound of flesh from the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Chief Nyesom Wike.
“A spectacularly failed mission indeed. This wicked subterfuge cannot work under our watch.
“This assembly of protesters did not only vehemently carry out rigorous and excruciating campaigns against Asiwaju but they trumped up and funded hate speeches against Asiwaju. They and their ilk, championed the obscene and absurd denigration of Asiwaju in the media. They promoted the devilish narratives that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was frail and unhealthy.
“In fact, they played God by promoting that Asiwaju was on the departure lounge and will pass on in a bit”.
The APC chairman equally said the PDP group raised the issue of the political crisis in Rivers State and made attempts to link the immediate past Governor Wike to it.
“It is so shameful that those champions of the slogan “serving son after father”, when Sir Siminalayi Fubara emerged in the PDP Governorship Primary, are now the ‘errand boys’ of the son they despised.
“Rivers State is more than drifting to a pariah state, to atrophying into abysmal oblivion to say the least.
“How does it concern the Honourable Minister of the FCT serving under our beloved APC-led Federal Government, who had long left the rostrum of power in Rivers State Government House?
“If the protesters feel concerned, shouldn’t it be honourable for them to look inwards to seek solutions to the problems than constituting themselves as snitches and fifth columnists and crisis merchants and so to justify their lucre, cast aspersions on the Abuja transformer and reformer, Nyesom Wike?
“Why do they want to further insult Mr. President and APC by telling him that he as leader of APC, appointed a kleptocrat into his cabinet as Minister?
“When have they repented and withdrawn their suits in court, challenging the powers of Mr. President to mediate in the political crisis in Rivers State?
“Have they repented from emboldening Governor Fubara to disrespect Mr. President by refusing to implement all the indices on the 8~point Presidential Proclamation, as panacea to the political crisis in Rivers State, which by their actions, they have continued to fuel”?
Okocha added that if the PDP group have respect for Mr. President as they mouth, they would not have publicly condemned and referred as illegal the group of defected 27 lawmakers led by Hon. Martin Amaewhule who dumped the PDP for the APC.
