A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwumeka Eze has expressed a deep sense of loss over the recent resignations of three party bigwigs, Dr. Dawari George, Prince Tonye Princewill and Celestine Akpobari from the party.
The erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), said their resignation is a blow to the party, noting that they remain “great assets whose wealth of expertise in leadership and politicking can not be undermined in the building and strengthening of a political structure.”
In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, he said, “The news of the three of my great friends in APC, Dr. Dawari George, Prince Princewil Tonye and Celestine Akpobari leaving the party came to me as a huge shock.
“These three have proved capacity in most of the task assigned to them and for them to decide to leave at this period of time when we are planning to salvage Rivers State from the strong hands of Wike and all the evil forces that have held the State spell bound is most sad and unfortunate.”
However, reacting to the resignation of a former Commissioner of Information and Communication and one time Ag. Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, from the party, Eze described her exit as “grossly footling, inconsequential and of no effect, noting that the former Commissioner was merely a nominal member with zero electoral value, scamping from one political camp to another seeking undue relevance.”
He said her exit and that of Elder Chidi Wihioka, a former Federal Lawmaker who represented Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, has no effect on the party, adding that they have never made any meaningful contribution for the progress of the party.
He claimed that Wihioka had connived with the likes of Magnus Abe to “sabotage every meaningful efforts at liberating Rivers State from the shackles of maladministration underage the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
According to him, “Chidi Wihioka has no political relevance and no electoral value. He rode to power as a federal lawmaker on the wings of Amaechi’s political relevance and nothing more. For him to formally leave APC calls for celebration because the party can now hive a sigh of relief. Wihioka was one of those who constituted themselves as clogs in the wheel of party’s progress.”
The Chieftain, who further expressed his pains over Princewill and Dawari’s exit, said it is saddening that after it was agreed that power should shift to the Riverine Area after 24years of governance of the state by the upland area, it is shocking that most key leaders of the Riverine seem not to be happy with this plot to shift.
He maintained that the Ogonis have been complaining that since the creation of the State, they have not occupied the seats of the Governor, Deputy Governor or Speaker of the State Assembly and to pacify them, the APC leadership allotted the seat of the Deputy Governor to the Ogonis.
He noted that Akpobari exit is painful now that the party is committed to addressing the age-long political marginalization of the Ogonis.
Eze called on Rivers People and particularly party faithful not to grieve much over the recent happenings, as more will resign after the constitution of the NDDC.
