The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State for complaining after rejecting an initial offer to control the party machinery.
The PDP stated that it had made several efforts to support the governor, but he failed to rally his fellow governors and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to back him.
Ibrahim Abdulahi, the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, told Tribune Online that when a vacancy for the Rivers State chapter chairman arose, the NWC asked Fubara to submit a nominee.
However, he declined, insisting that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), should select the nominee instead.
The party’s spokesperson questioned when Fubara realized he needed to control the party’s structure in the state and denied any claims that the national leadership had favored Wike over Fubara.
When asked why the PDP did not support Governor Fubara in his conflict with Wike over the control of Rivers PDP, Abdulahi responded: “It’s a very, very long story that we will not be able to make sense of now. The kind of opportunity given to Fubara by this party is the sort that you never imagine exists from any political party to any of its members, not a governor, not a president.”
He emphasized that Fubara was given multiple opportunities to take control of the party’s structure, including the chance to nominate a state chairman, but refused, deferring to Wike instead.
Abdulahi added: “At what point did you now stop recognizing him as your boss, that you start taking all of those decisions?”
The PDP spokesperson expressed disappointment with Fubara’s leadership, pointing out that his predecessor, Wike, was able to effectively lead the party in opposition during the Buhari administration, while Fubara has struggled to gather support from his fellow governors and the NWC.
Abdulahi said, “Fubara is sitting on that same saddle now and yet, cannot be able to rally his colleagues, governors behind him. He cannot be able to hold the National Working Committee to identify with him just because his predecessor is a minister in Abuja.”
The party’s spokesman hinted that Fubara could face disciplinary action for alleged anti-party activities, including his reported sponsorship of another political party during the recent local government elections in Rivers State.
He also mentioned that the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, might face similar consequences for attending the swearing-in ceremony and supporting opposition local government officials in Rivers State.
He added: “That is a clear anti-party on the part of the governor and we will wait for him with that himself. The governor that went to identify with him during the inauguration of the elected officials himself, the chairman of the governors’ forum will be accused of anti-party.
“And this is why we are always careful to, you know, apply the sledgehammer on the heads of all of those persons accused of identifying with this thing called anti-party. Because you would soon realize that you have finished all the members of the party and you are leaving nobody behind. Everybody has one action or the other that can constitute what is anti-party in the face of law.
“So in the running party…because he went there, they were inaugurated, none of them was PDP local government chairman, none, the 21 of them. But the chairman of the PDP forum went there, gave his blessing for a sitting PDP governor to inaugurate the opposition party and then they were all joyful and in festive mood. How will you now say you are serving PDP with this action alone?”
Abdulahi warned that the PDP might lose control of Rivers State due to the local government councils being ceded to the Action Peoples Party (APP), but expressed confidence in the party’s ability to regain control by 2027.