Former member of the House of Representatives in Rivers State, Farah Dagogo, has asserted that the unresolved rift between ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan and the former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, is still hunting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Naija News reports that Dagogo made this known in an interview with Daily Post, stating that if forces around Jonathan had allowed him to reconcile with Amaechi over the loggerhead before the 2015 election, the party would not have been in the current crisis.
The ex-governorship aspirant in Rivers State stated that a few individuals selfishly created the PDP crisis to bolster their inordinate ambition to the party’s detriment.
Dagogo expressed optimism that the PDP will bounce back, especially now that Nigerians are yearning for a viable opposition ahead of 2027.
He said, “Nigerians are expecting a whole lot from the PDP. But regrettably, my party has not lived up to that billing because of in-house fighting. These so-called crises are selfishly created by few individuals to bolster their inordinate ambition to the detriment of the party and to a bigger extent, a larger section of Nigerians who are looking up to it for a viable option.
“I have said it and will still repeat it. The PDP put itself in this mess prior to the 2015 elections where some individuals impressed it on then President Goodluck Jonathan to tactically make the then Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, irrelevant in the PDP, and pushed him out.
“That unfortunate action forced Amaechi and other governors out of the PDP to strengthen the then opposition APC. What did we (PDP) get in return? We retained or recaptured Rivers State from the APC, by virtue of Amaechi decamping to the APC. We won that battle in Rivers State and lost the war, the Presidency, which was the most important one.
“So, it is safe to say that we sacrificed the Rivers State election for the Presidency. If selfish pursuits were jettisoned then and the differences between Jonathan and Amaechi were reconciled, Amaechi and other governors, including other strong party members would not have left the PDP for APC.
“As at then, Amaechi was not contesting for any elective position. He was about serving off his second term. President Jonathan on the other hand was in the race for a second term. If only the forces around Jonathan had allowed him to reconcile with Amaechi, it wouldn’t have been like this.
“But, the selfish interest of one individual, who destroyed the zoning arrangements in Rivers State, boomeranged and cost us the war and we lost the Federal. That was all. What has to be done now is for a complete overhaul of the existing leadership structure of the party. As it is now, I agree with you that it is all gloomy, but it is never too late to do the right things.”