How Amaechi made us join PDP – APC decampees

Members of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State who dumped the party for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have claimed that the former governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi made them leave the party.

Many of the APC members from Asari-Toru and Degema Local Government Areas of the State who dumped the party for the PDP, claiming they had bad experience while under the leadership of Amaechi.

Speaking at the PDP Secretariat in Port Harcourt where the decampees were received on Thursday, the leader of the APC decampees and former leader of the Asari-Toru Legislative Assembly, Hon. Orolosoma Amachree accused Amaechi of coercing all ‘elected’ Chairmen and Councilors of the APC into instituting legal action against the government of Chief (Barr) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as a gimmick to make the State ungovernable.

Amachree, said the violent activities of former Chairman of Asari-Toru Council, had plunged the area into crisis which rendered his followers homeless.

He said the situation prompted them to flee to Abuja where they hoped to get succor from Amaechi who is Rivers APC leader and Minister for Transportation.

“But when we met Amaechi, our leader in Abuja and told him of our predicament and requested his assistance to get accommodation, he bluntly told us ‘If you don’t have accommodation why did you have to come to me. Am I the landlord of Abuja?'” said Amachree who is reputed for his prowess in grassroots politics.

He stated that those actions, among others underscored their resolution to dump the APC which deceitfully promised to bring what he called a ‘fraudulent change’ to Nigerians.

He added, “I was not convinced by anyone to decamp. No one gave me money and no one lobbied for me and my brothers and sisters to leave the APC.

“PDP was my root and because I was deceived to join the APC, I have retraced my step and I am back home.”

Among those who joined Amachree to the PDP are the APC Assistant Women Leader in Asalga, Vice Chairman of PDP, Hon. Briggs and other Ward Exco members.

Another APC prominent member that joined the PDP was the Vice Chairman of APC in Degema Local Government Area, Hon. Samuel Ikiroma who stormed the PDP Secretariat with hundreds of supporters.

The soft-talking APC leader who handed his councillorship certificate of return to State PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah for destruction, said he was now enjoying genuine peace since he took the decision to dump the APC.

He said, “I am not defecting but coming back to my home. APC is nothing but a deceit and pretence. I have never had peace while in APC but ever since I took the decision last Monday, I now have better peace and rest of mind.”

Receiving the decampees, ‎PDP chairman, Felix Obuah commended Governor Nyesom Wike for creating the enabling environment which had triggered the gale of defection of APC members into the PDP.

“If Governor Wike had not judiciously used the resources of the State to the benefit of all, there would not have been this strong conviction to join a progressive movement like the PDP.

“Amaechi and his cohorts sold the idea of what he called ‘change’ to hapless people and they fell for it, thinking it is change but not knowing it is nothing but danger”, Obuah said and gave assurance that all the decampees would be given fair and equitable treatment as those already in the PDP.”

He said that a better acronym for the APC would have been ‘Lie Lie Party’ considering the tissue of lies which the party had continued to sell to Rivers people.

Amid chants of ‘ Mba Anabara Agu’, Bro. Obuah further assured them that they had not missed nor lost nothing by leaving the APC, adding that the performing Governor of the State would stop at nothing to accommodate all of them.

He explained that Governor Wike would have personally received them on the occasion but for an unavoidable assignment which took him to Abuja.

He however announced that the Governor would be on hand to receive over 8,000 decampees from the APC on Thursday, April 13, 2017 in Port Harcourt.