Three sources within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today
confirmed to SaharaReporters that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers
State and his Delta State counterpart, Emmanuel Uduaghan, actually
walked out on the PDP’s national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, and Governor
Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum
(PGF). Our sources said Mr. Amaechi and Mr. Uduaghan staged the walk-out
during a meeting of the South-South special zonal executive committee
on Sunday, March 17, 2013 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
One of the sources accused the two Niger Delta governors of teaming
up to walk out in order to embarrass Mr. Tukur and their Akwa Ibom State
counterpart. Governor Akpabio, who was recently chosen as the inaugural
chairman of the PDP’s governors’ forum, is known to be extremely
servile towards President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan and Governor
Amaechi have been carrying on a quiet feud for some months now.
In a move to cover up shunning of Mr. Tukur, the Delta State
Commissioner of Information, Chike Ogeah, had issued a statement
claiming that Governor Uduaghan’s exit from the Port Harcourt meeting
did not translate to disrespect for the PDP chairman. Mr. Ogeah’s
statement asserted that, on arrival in Port Harcourt, Mr. Uduaghan had
informed Mr. Tukur of his intention to return to Asaba, the Delta State
capital, the same day.
“Given that Asaba Airport closes to air traffic by 5 p.m., the Governor
had sought the permission of the chairman to exit the meeting whenever
it gets to the threshold of arriving Asaba Airport ahead of its closure
to air traffic,” wrote the commissioner. He added: “Alhaji Tukur had
graciously agreed to let Governor Uduaghan leave to enable him [to]
return to Asaba on time. When eventually it was time to leave for the
return flight to Asaba, Dr. Uduaghan again notified the chairman who
wished him a safe flight.”
According to Ogeah, “Governor Amaechi, as the host governor, had to see
Dr. Uduaghan off. At no time was there any disagreement to elicit a
walk out by anybody. Alhaji Tukur had conducted the meeting in an
atmosphere of candor and camaraderie and before Dr. Uduaghan left the
meeting, all the parties present had addressed the meeting.”
Mr. Ogeah’s narrative was contradicted by a senior official of the
Delta State government who was in Mr. Uduaghan’s entourage. The source
disclosed that Governor Uduaghan did not head straight for the airport
after leaving the meeting in Port Harcourt. Instead, he went to Governor
Amaechi’s residence where he and the host governor as well as a few
others shared a few bottles of wine.
In the words of the source, “The truth of the matter is that His
Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and his Rivers State counterpart
really walked out on the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,
and the Governor of Akwa Ibom who is the chairman of the PDP Governors
Forum (PGF), Chief Godswill Akpabio during the South-South Meeting of
PDP held on Sunday, March 17, 2013 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”
The source noted that Mr. Uduaghan left shortly after the delivery of
some speeches. He disclosed that the Delta governor stood up and told
Mr. Tukur that he was leaving. “As he was going out, the host governor,
Mr. Amaechi, stood up too. Governor Amaechi pretended that he was seeing
off my boss. But to the surprise of many, the two governors’ convoys
drove straight to Governor Amaechi’s lodge where we all came down and
were ushered in. Governor Amaechi then asked his aides to bring out
drinks and my boss was treated to a good reception.” Our source revealed
that the two governors discussed in hushed tones but laughed loud as
they enjoyed themselves.
SaharaReporters learnt that Governor Uduaghan spent approximately one
hour before leaving for the airport to board an aircraft bound for
Asaba.
A senior PDP official told SaharaReporters that Mr. Tukur and
Governor Akpabio were upset to discover that Governors Amaechi and
Uduaghan left the PDP parley to go and share drinks. “Do you need a
prophet to tell you that the two governors actually walked out on the
party chairman and other dignitaries at the meeting?” he queried.
When SaharaReporters contacted Governor Amaechi, he stated that he had
to leave the meeting due to a slight medical reason. He added he and
Mr. Uduaghan exited the meeting at the same time after notifying the PDP
chairman.
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