The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Campaign Council in Rivers State has accused former Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of being a member of the “wicked cabal” making life difficult for Nigerians.
The council in a statement through its Director of Publicity and Communications, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke also accused Amaechi of secretly working for presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
Nwuke challenged Amaechi to deny the allegations.
He said Amaechi had been working secretly and holding meetings with Atiku and others in the cabal to starve the country of the much-needed funds in the name of politics.
Nwuke said: “Nigerians have been forced to go through the eye of the needle in search of money with which to meet their daily needs and feed their families.
“Unknown to most Nigerians, the vicious cabal that has made it a duty to inflict pain and suffering on the rest of us has done so deliberately in order to influence the outcome of the forthcoming elections.”
But the Amaechi-led APC in the state described the PDP and its leader, Wike, as confused and clueless, saying all their allegations against Amaechi had collapsed like a pack of cards.
The state Publicity Secretary, APC, Darlington Nwauju, recalled that Wike had earlier mocked Amaechi, saying he could no longer have access to the Aso Rock Villa.
Nwauju said: “Nigerians can now see through the web of lies, evil machinations and sophistry of the clueless PDP administration in Rivers State as the continuous campaigns of calumny against former Governor Amaechi keep falling like a pack of cards.
“Not too long ago, Governor Wike, who is the leader of the faction of PDP in Rivers State that authored these false claims, was seen on live television boasting that the former Transportation Minister no longer has access to Aso Rock Villa.
“Today, the same faction of the PDP shamelessly names the former governor as a member of the cabal. Should we take such persons seriously? Nigerians can easily see through these tantrums as claptraps by failed politicians who have made wrong political permutations and are now struggling to point fingers. Even the author of the statement does not believe in what he signed off.”
“Given his rabid comments, Cole has demonstrated a poor understanding of how politics works. This explains why many in the state, including politicians, think he is an outsider.
“We believe that the APC candidate is a poor judge of circumstances, permanent interests and intervening variables in the polity, which shape the present as well as the future of states and nation-states.
“Cole, who betrayed Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs in 2018 to snatch the ticket of the APC, should be properly guided by those who have a firm knowledge of the master art that politics is.
“In trying to curry cheap popularity and catch a few mentions in the press, Cole is exposing his underbelly and making a great mockery of himself.”
Reiterating that Wike had no secret agenda, Nwuke insisted that the party would continue to fulfil its historic mission.
He said: “The Rivers PDP is fielding candidates from the governorship through the Senate and the House of Representatives to the House of Assembly. This means we are deeply rooted in our political party, differences at the national level notwithstanding.
“Our decision not to support the candidate of the party in the presidential election is something Nigerians understand. If Cole is unwilling to support the candidate of his own party, he should say so.
“Rather than peeping at a political crystal ball that is sending confusing signs about people that he cannot decode, Cole should retire home and face the reality of his impending defeat at the forthcoming poll.
“From all indications, candidates of the Rivers PDP are poised to win on February 25 and again on March 11, 2023. And Rivers people who support our great party and its leadership are working tirelessly to ensure that victory is realised.
“What we are doing in the PDP is none of Cole’s business. I think he should be told that clearly. We know where we are coming from. We also know where we going to. Cole is not a home boy. So how can he understand the direction of Rivers people?
“Without mincing words, Mr. Cole is acting like an uninvited tombo fly. He is indeed not welcomed at the breakfast table. Rivers people do not have the luxury of time to spend at the door post of a meddlesome interloper, who is behaving like a drowning man.
“We see his comments pertaining to Governor Wike as the product of a political neophyte, whose intentions as a Southerner bear huge question marks.
“When governors of his own party from across the country are busy working to achieve a political balance that will rescue Nigeria and enable the South to produce the next president, Cole and his sponsors are conniving with members of a faceless cabal that is bent on creating disaffection, national instability and distrust.”
He added, “Let him deny that he’s one of those that are working with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at this time to undermine the genuine aspiration of the people of southern Nigeria.”
