by Chi Ibe

Anti-Amaechi leaders in Rivers state  have apologized to President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, on the Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s hostile attitude towards the President.

The group made up of former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, and the Minister of State, Education were said to have had a closed-door session with President Jonathan .

According to reports, the meeting, which was held inside one of the guest houses in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was attended by a factional state chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obuah; the five anti-Amaechi members of the state House of Assembly; the acting Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Chibudom Nwuche; a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara; a former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo; Senator Lee Maeba and Sergeant Awuse among other party chiefs.

The Punch reports:

In his remarks during the meeting, copies of which was made available to journalists, Obuah said the party chiefs were pained that Amaechi had remained the main champion of opposition in the country against the President and the Federal Government.

He alleged that the governor had repeatedly rebuffed all efforts aimed at making him to show remorse and respect the President.

While He said, “We are pained and our heart bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against Mr. President is Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

“We do not know what has come over the young man. Is it that he wants to destabilise the PDP before his eventual movement to his new party, having been handed over the ACN/APC structure in Rivers State?”

Obuah said apart from showing disrespect to the President, the governor is also attacking the Nigeria Police because the new Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is not doing his bidding.

In an interview with State House correspondents, Obuah however insisted that there was no crisis in the state chapter of the party.

On Amaechi’s threat to leave the PDP, Obuah said nobody could stop the governor if he decides to leave.

Wike told journalists that  the problem with Amaechi was because he did not have the party structure.

He said, “That the governor does not have the party structure does not make him comfortable.”

On the situation in the state, Odili said, “What is important is for us to recognise that at any point in time respect for authority, respect for the rule of law and discipline are the guiding principles that will make us run whatever system or societies we are running in an orderly, disciplined fashion.”

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, explained that it was wrong for Obuah to say that Amaechi was opposing the President of the country.

Semenitari maintained that Amaechi had always being in support of Jonathan and wondered why the state PDP chairman would accuse the governor of antagonising the President.

She said, “I don’t really know if Mr. Obuah really campaigned for the President. I hope that our memory is not short as the governor has always been there to support the President. Governor Amaechi is not opposed to Mr. President,” Semenitari said.

She also dismissed Obuah’s insinuation that the governor was trying to destabilise the PDP before moving to another party, insisting that Amaechi remained a member of the PDP and has no plan to defect to another party.