Albert Horsfall: slammed by PDP

Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has rejected the call by a group of elders, asking the party to drop Mr Nyesom Wike as governorship candidate, to avoid electoral defeat.

The party’s spokesman, Jerry Needam said the elders were day-dreaming and described their call as nonsensical, ‘senseless’, ‘malicious’, which runs against democratic norms.

Chief Albert Horsfall, representing the elders had issued a statement giving the PDP a seven day ultimatum to dump Mr Wike, as his candidacy goes against the power rotation understanding by all the geo-political groups in the state. Both the incumbent, Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his predecessor, Dr. Peter Odili are from the upland area of the state. Horsfall said power must move to the Riverine area in 2015, an understanding that the PDP has violated by fielding Wike, who is also from the Kalabari area of the upland. The ultimatum expires 5 January.

But Needam said the call, “is laughable and not achievable because directing or not directing elected candidates to proceed or not to proceed with their election mandates is not the responsibility of the party or any of its leaders.

Nyesom Wike: party rejects ultimatum to step down as PDP candidate

“This latest action of Chief Horsfall however is not received by the Party as a bolt from the blue, as he has over the period, conducted himself as a paid agent of the All Progressives Congress, APC,”, the statement alleged.

“Chief Horsfall’s threat to mobilize Riverrine votes for APC to justify the money Amaechi gave to him is an empty threat. PDP will surely be victorious in the next elections in the State at all levels” he said.

In another development, the PDP has urged the people of Ogoni to beware of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s ploy to trick them to support the All Progressives Congress, APC and the party’s governorship candidate.

The Chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah made the call in his reaction to an alleged secret meeting Governor Amaechi held with some Ogoni chiefs, elders and leaders in Government House Port Harcourt on Wednesday December 31, 2014.

In the said meeting, Governor Amaechi promised to zone the speakership of the Rivers State House of Assembly to Ogoni and to also ensure that Mr. Dakuku Peterside hands over to an Ogoni man.

“It is precisely most difficult for Amaechi to choose who will be speaker Rivers State House of Assembly and successive governors of Rivers State”

Governor Amaechi had good opportunities to make an Ogoni man speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly. He also had opportunity to give an Ogoni man governorship ticket, but he refused, after several promises, said the PDP chairman.