The Rivers State Chapter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the five northern states governors who two days ago visited two ex-military Heads of State from their region in a purported move to find a solution to the crisis rocking the party.

It lambasted Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Rabiu Kwakwanso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto and Babangida Aliyu of Niger over the visit to retired Generals Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) and Abdulsalami Abubakar in Minna, Niger State, describing them as desperadoes who are looking for exit plans as their tenures draw to an end.

The action of the five governors was not borne out of genuine interest to resolve the lingering political crisis in Rivers State but to fuel it, said Rivers PDP in a statement issued in Port Harcourt through the Special Adviser on Media to the State Chairman, Jerry Needam.

The party wondered why the northern governors who are now “patriots” of democracy “cannot remove the logs in their eyes before removing the speck in other people’s eyes.” It argued that the Boko Haram menace, underdevelopment, hunger and disease, unemployment and deplorable poor standard of education in the North are enough to engage these governors more than the internal crisis in Rivers State.

Said Rivers PDP: “How can any serious minded governor not be worried that the average northerner today lives in grave fear of insecurity and poverty and yet these busybody governors are wasting tax payers’ money, flying on chartered executive jets to stoke trouble in Rivers State? The state of emergency declared in three states in the North is a huge dent on their credibility to govern well and this is why they find Amaechi as an ally in failure.

“We believe these governors have ulterior motive in their seeming concern in the Rivers State matter involving their colleague, Gov Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who we also believe, has consistently concocted lies for the consumption of those who care to listen instead of concentrating on the challenging task of governing the state. Amaechi must be told to stop wasting public funds on his personal pursuit for power.”

According to Rivers PDP, “Dramatizing this issue and blowing it out of proportion as done by the governors will not help in resolving this situation. The northern governors, by crying more than the bereaved, have only shown that they are interested in using the Rivers State governor to destablise the PDP and weaken the chances of President Goodluck Jonathan if he decides to run for the presidency in 2015.

“It is most regrettable that these governors are abusing the sensibilities of Rivers people who are aggrieved over the recklessness and misappropriation of their resources by their government.

While we hold the two former military administrators in high esteem, it is also our candid opinion that they should not allow themselves to be used by these gold-digging governors who have abandoned their primary responsibilities of governing and ensuring security of lives and property in their states for meddling in an internal Rivers State crisis.

“It is also important that we appeal to well meaning Northern elders to call their governors to order to desist from fueling the political situation in Rivers State.”

•Photo shows the five northern governors with IBB and Abubakar.

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