RIVERS PDP IN DISARRAY AS GDI IMPLODES

The Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State seems to be falling apart with the resentment and anger boiling over the alleged hijacking by the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) of the chairmanship and all other slots in the recently constituted caretaker committees across the 22 local government areas.  

Chieftains of the party are angry that even though every member of the party fought for the emergence of Nyesom Wike as Governor of the State, the GDi has practically hijacked the party structure in the State and all the goodies emanating after the elections.

Enigma Reports learnt from a very senior official of the party in the State, who prefers to be anonymous, that the 22 CTC Chairmen are the GDI LGA coordinators, noting that this decision didn’t go down well with stakeholders of the party as their choices were sidelined.

The GDI is the political group set up by Wike to actualize his gubernatorial ambition. However, political watchers believe it is the violent arm of the PDP in the State given the alleged role of its President General, Samuel Nwanosike, also known as “Ishi”, who doubles as the Assistant Publicity Secretary of PDP in the State. Allegations were rife of his alleged escapades with thugs who allegedly harass, intimidate and maim perceived political opponents.

This angst within the party is said to be responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the State. Already the crisis has claimed several lives. First, was the Secretary of the GDI in the State, Olala Osondu, who is also a PDP chieftain in Ahoada West LGArea. He was shot and killed by yet-to-be identified gunmen suspected to be assassins who were said to have trailed him to his house located off Ada-George in Port Harcourt around 12.30am on his way back from a meeting.

In Eleme local government area some weeks back, gunmen on a motorbike were said to have driven to the Eleme Ultra-Modern Market and shot sporadically into the crowd killing about six persons. In Bonny local government area, two rival cults, Icelanders and Greenlanders engaged themselves in reprisal attacks resulting in the death of about ten persons. Ahoada East also witnessed its own share of violence with a yet-to-be ascertained number of casualties. A man was beheaded in Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government.

Unconfirmed sources disclosed to Enigma Reports that many of these incidents involved GDI “boys” who are reportedly displacing their rivals in order to properly position themselves in the emerging equation in the party. These in-fighting is said to be sponsored by party leaders who are bent on asserting themselves in the political configuration in the State.

In Obio/Akpor local government area, where the Secretary General of the GDI, Bright Amaewhule is the CTC Chairman, it is alleged that so far all his appointments, approvals and other acts of patronage are skewed to favour only GDI members.

A PDP stalwart, who prefers not to be named, confided in Enigma Reports that “the CTC Chairman has been appointing only members of GDI while the real PDP members are left out in the scheme of things, pointing out that, for instance, the list submitted by Ward 7 in the LGA was rejected because it did not include GDI members. He said “the unfortunate situation at hand is that most PDP members are not members of GDI”.

To confirm this ugly development within the PDP is the recent protest by youth bodies in the PDP in Ahoada East LGA calling for the immediate sack of the CTC Chairman of the council. The youths, who protested from Hospital Road to the Council Secretariat in Ahoada, carried placards inscriptions such as “GDI is not a political party”, “We fought for this together”, “GDI can’t hijack these appointments”, among others, accused the CTC Chairman of bias in his appointments.

A reliable source in Government House, Port Harcourt, revealed to Enigma Reports that Governor Wike has not been able to appoint Commissioners into the various ministries in the State due to the inability of stakeholder sin the party to harmonise the various interests in the party due to the in-fighting between chieftains of the party and those of the GDI over who is to be given what appointment.