PDP set to reconcile with Governor Rotimi Amaechi

The Peoples Democratic Party has initiated moves to reconcile with Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and other estranged governors elected on the platform of the party.

This indication was given in Abuja on Friday by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, after a meeting of the PDP National Convention Planning Committee.

PDP governors at loggerheads with the party over its suspension of the Rivers State governor are Aliyu Babangida (Niger); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).

They had been at the forefront of moves for the removal of the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, over his alleged interference in the running of the Adamawa State chapter.

They also fell out with the party after it suspended Amaechi on May 27 for seeking a second term as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, despite warnings from the PDP leadership.

The party’s National Working Committee explained that Amaechi was suspended for his “refusal to obey the lawful directive of the Rivers Executive Committee (of PDP) to rescind his decision dissolving the elected Executive Council of Obiokpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.”

Amaechi has, however, gone to court to challenge the suspension and to stop the disciplinary committee set up by the party to investigate him from sitting.

He has also filed a separate suit seeking to stop members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from impeaching him.

Already, he has secured a court order stopping the committee from proceeding with the investigation.

Wamakko was suspended on June 5 for allegedly ignoring party directives. He was, however, recalled on Monday.

However, his suspension was believed to have been orchestrated by some party leaders over his support for Amaechi at the NGF election on June 24.

Akpabio told journalists that there were possibilities of returning Amaechi to the party.

He said the party and the governors were already exploring the possibilities of settling the cases instituted by Amaechi over his suspension.

Akpabio said the PDP was not ready to lose any of its governors to opposition political parties.

He said both the leadership of the PDP Governors Forum and the party were committed to return peace to the troubled party.

But Akpabio said the party was already looking into the matter and was ready to give the governor a reprieve just as the governors intervened in the lifting of the NWC’s suspension of Wamakko.

He said, “The reconciliation already going on among the governors led to the return of my brother, Governor Wamakko, to the party.

“The reconciliation is already ongoing. You saw almost all the governors at the PDP National Executive Committee meeting.

“Those who were not there at the meeting either travelled or were doing something for the country. You know I said that the matter involving my brother in Rivers State is subjudice.

“We are exploring all means for out-of-court to return him to the party. We are not ready to lose any of our members to the opposition.”

He said the governorship elections coming up in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States would be a test case for the party.

Interestingly, the presidency engineered the formation of the PDP Governors Forum headed by Akpabio to counter Amaechi.

Although Amaechi defeated Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, at the NGF election, President Goodluck Jonathan endorsed the latter and met with the group, which included Akpabio.

However, none of the affected governors was willing to react to Akpabio’s comments.

They rather said they would “wait and see” how things unfold.