Press Statement PDP Disowns Rivers Mainstream Coalition …Investigates Those Behind The Group The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has disowned a group called Rivers Mainstream Coalition. The Party in an online statement in Port Harcourt said “A group known as Rivers Mainstream Coalition is not known to the Party and is not one of the groups that has been collaborating and supporting the PDP in the State. The clarification according to the PDP became essential following attempts by the Rivers Mainstream Coalition to drag the name of the PDP into its extremely wicked and malicious activities. The Party notes with very strong dismay, the use of the PDP logo by the group in a publication in THISDAY Newspaper of Friday, August 16, 2014 on Page 44 without authorization, describing it as illegal and criminal. We hereby state that the publication under reference was done in bad taste and designed to cause confusion in the PDP and also to undermine the authority of the party in the State, by arrogating the rights to summon and screen PDP governorship aspirants to itself, which is the primary responsibility of the PDP. Given the seriousness the Party attaches to membership cohesion and respect for order, we have commenced investigation to ascertain if Chief Bekinbo Sobrekon and Prof Israel Owate who jointly signed the publication are members of the PDP in Asari Toru Local Government Area and Eleme Local Government Area respectively. If the findings show that they are members of the Party, we will take appropriate actions by invoking the relevant provisions of the Party Constitution to address this rascality. By so doing, these busybodies and their ilk will not find comfort in contaminating the genuine efforts of good and loyal Party members towards building a great PDP that can defeat the APC in 2015. While the Party will not rebuff genuine co-operation from our members, it is appalling to imagine that an unregistered body which is a stranger to the PDP will shamelessly summon the temerity to appoint so called governorship aspirants and begin to invite them to meetings without the minutest regard for the Party Chairman and his Exco in Rivers State. Worse still, the Party logo was used by the unauthorised group and persons in the said publication. The Party repeats for the umpteenth time that the strength of the PDP in the State is a threat to the APC and we have it on good authority that the APC has been planting moles in the PDP to cause confusion and weaken the existing bond of unity in the PDP. These moles have various methods of operation to destabilise the PDP. It is for this reason that irrational behaviours like that of the Coalition are viewed with strong suspicion. We are not persuaded by the smoke screen and false claim that the Rivers Mainstream Coalition is a conglomerate of organisations that support President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until such claim is demonstrated in real action through effective mobilisation of people and giving the Party the needed support from the ward levels to the Centre. The Coalition is yet to pass this test and we cannot put the cart before the horse. We believe at all times that there must be a strong party first before members can successfully run elections under such party. While we welcome any offer to support the President and the PDP, such claims must be concrete and verifiable and not a sham. To support the President and the PDP, the Coalition must show good faith by telling Nigerians which party their elected representatives in the Rivers State House of Assembly and National Assembly are. Which party were their Local Government Chairmen in the recently dissolved Local Government administrations? They cannot claim to be helping the Party and Mr President to win elections in 2015 if their brothers and sisters holding elective positions are in the APC and they cannot convince them to return to the PDP. Are these strange men telling the party that these elected officers will vote for PDP in the Presidential election? Charity, they say, must begin at home. All members of the PDP especially those who want to contest elections in 2015 are hereby warned to be on their guard and disassociate themselves from those who do not wish the Party well or follow the rules. It is the duty of all of us, jointly and individually, to jealously protect the ideals which propelled and motivated us to rebuild the PDP and transform it to a great Party that we all proudly lay claim to today. Any member who finds himself in the unfortunate adventure of working against the interest of the Party and breaching rules of our collective aspirations as genuine members of the PDP in Rivers State can only live in regrets. The PDP is a law abiding Party at all levels and a every stage of the election, processes up to the general elections in 2015 are guided by rules and regulations namely, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, The Electoral Act and all other relevant laws as well as the Peoples Democratic Partys Constitution, rules and regulations made thereunder. The time for primary election has not come and the Party does not know of any aspirant until Intent and Nomination forms are available to be collected by interested persons for all the elective offices in our State. We must place it on record that we have received calls since last Friday from some persons who disassociated themselves from the antics of the Rivers Mainstream Coalition regarding the said publication, saying that their names were merely conscripted without reference to them. It is in the same light that we commend Prince Uche Secondus, National Deputy Chairman of PDP who has publicly disclaimed the publication. That is the right way to go. Signed: Bro. Felix Obuah Chairman PDP, Rivers State Tuesday August 19, 2014.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 12:26:50 +0000
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