TELL Magazine

The Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Awaji Ibani, has said that the leadership and members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State decided to abandon the National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, because he worked against the interest of the state. Secondus hails from Andoni.
Ibani stated this when he led a delegation of PDP leaders of Andoni LGA to the state Chairman of the party, Desmond Akawor, at the state Secretariat of the party in Port Harcourt.

Secondus, who was removed recently by an order of a Cross River High Court, said, “If the interest of the state is threatened and the leader of the party and the party itself are trying to ensure that they advance the corporate interest of the state, which is greater than the interest of individuals, as party leaders and workers of the PDP, we are in support of such position of the state.” 

But Ibani did say what the supposed interest of the state was. Secondus and the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, had fallen out with each other before the court ordered the removal of Secondus as the National Chairman of the party.
“Politics is not something that you will be too selfish about. We want to show to the world we want to prove to the world that as Andoni people we cannot be selfish in whatever decision we take as a people,” the Rivers Speaker said.
Responding, the state Chairman of PDP, Desmond Akawor, said the former National Chairman of PDP, worked against the interest of the party in Rivers State.

“I am aware elders (of the party led by Ferdinand Anabraba) met him not less than three times. We thank God that as of today that the elders of the party, the members of the Board of Trustees, the Governors’ Forum, the Ministers’ Forum have all met and said ‘no we must go this way’ because Nigerians are waiting for PDP. Nigerians were so disturbed when they saw this because the only hope they have is PDP.

“For you from Andoni to have come today to meet the party to show that wherever the party is that is where your interest lies is important. And there is nothing as encouraging as this. I will pass on the message to our leader to let him know what has happened,” Akawor said.
On the Andoni delegation were the Attorney General of the state, Zacchaeus Adango, the Head of Service, Rufus Godwin, the local government chairman, Erastus Awortu and a former state chairman of APC, Davis Ikanya.