Anxiety as Police Barricade PDP Secretariat, Reason Emerges
- The PDP secretariat at Aba Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, has been barricaded by the police on Thursday, January 16
- The development came after the Acting Executive Committee announced a plan to take over the secretariat following the court judgment that nullified the elections of the elected exco
- On Monday, January 12, the court nullified the 2024 PDP congresses at the ward, council, and state levels
The Rivers state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) witnessed another challenge on Thursday, January 16, when police barricaded its secretariat at Aba Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
This followed the claim that the Acting Executive Committee, which was formed after the State High Court nullified the state executive’s election, was planning to take over the secretariat complex.
Police storm PDP secretariat in Rivers
Photo Credit: @GovWike, @SimFubaraKSCSource: Twitter
When did court sack Rivers PDP exco?
On Monday, January 12, the court nullified the 2024 PDP congresses at the ward, council, and state levels. While the plan to take over the secretariat was suspended, the two factions held different press conferences to register their authority, deepening the crisis within the party.
According to The Punch, the factions were embraced by a crowd of supporters inside and outside the secretariat, reflecting the tense atmosphere of the development.
Aaron Chukwuemeka, the leader of the dissolved group, lamented numerous court cases in which the state PDP was involved. He then appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to seek peace.
The PDP legal adviser in the state maintained that once the party received the judgment, they planned to appeal the high court’s decision as soon as the records were available.
The restrained faction also alleged that the Acting Executive Committee members are affiliated with the All People’s Party (APP) and have no authority over the PDP’s leadership.
Rivers: PDP faction suspended takeover of secretariat
In another event, Robinson Nname-Ewor, Acting Chairman of the PDP, disclosed that the move to take over the PDP secretariat had been suspended to avoid an altercation.
However, Nname-Ewor maintained that the way to resolve the PDP crisis was to reinstate the party’s leadership under Governor Fubara and recognise the Acting Executive at the state level.
He added that there is a plan to create a disciplinary committee that will probe the allegation of anti-party activities, particularly those connected to the 2023 general election.
Although the takeover has been suspended, the grievances and escalating tensions were yet to be resolved, and they suggested that the PDP crisis in Rivers was yet to be over. The crisis escalated on Wednesday, January 15, when the factional leaders emerged.
Robinson Ewor, the Rivers West Senatorial District’s PDP chairman, declared himself as the acting chairman of the party in the state,
Governor Fubara approved a N100k Christmas bonus
TheTalk.NG earlier reported that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state has approved an N100,000 Christmas bonus for civil servants, public servants and pensioners in the state.
Fubara was said to have moved so the beneficiaries could have a fulfilling Yuletide celebration in their homes.
This gesture will be Governor Fubara’s second of its kind, considering he started in 2023.
Source: TheTalk.NG
