The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, not to heed the call by the National Assembly to either apologise for his mischievous flippancy or resign from office.

The state PDP chairman, Bro Felix Obuah, who issued the statement from his Port Harcourt office, hinged the party’s position on the high regard the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has for Amaechi “as an indispensable asset, and touted closeness to the Presidency.”

He wondered why a mere controversy over a ministry’s budget that is an infinitesimal part of the 2016 appropriation bill should warrant the call for Amaechi’s resignation by the National Assembly, querying: “could it be they are just realising Amaechi’s rascality and eccentricity?”

“We believe it’s rather too early to begin to quarrel with Amaechi or call for his resignation, when he is yet to fix the Nigeria he promised would be changed by his new-found love, the almighty APC, in matter of months.”

The Rivers PDP recalled: “Again, Amaechi remains our beloved son who said he single-handedly sponsored and made His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari president, and he is yet to recoup the billions of Rivers money he invested in the project. Amaechi also said he planned to construct the controversial Lagos-Calabar rail line modernisation project to empower APC members in the South-south. This lofty dream will not be actualised if he resigns now.”

Though not surprised at the controversy ignited by the former Rivers State governor, Obuah opined: “Rather than requesting for Amaechi’s apology or resignation, the distinguished senators should use their differences, claims and counter-claims to reflect on the kind of persons that are considered for sensitive public offices and, or positions of trust.”

According to the Rivers PDP boss, though the National Assembly members may feel hurt by Amaechi’s ingratitude, after it had accepted to deliberate over the item if included in the supplementary budget, which he later went public to claim was contained in the original budget proposal, thereby portraying the federal lawmakers as partial and discriminatory. The main reason for Amaechi’s mischief was to create the impression that he has the interest of the South-south people at heart, which is a fallacy.”

However, Obuah was pleased to note that Amaechi has carried his antics of setting brother against brother to the very Senate that screened and confirmed his ministerial appointment. He advised the lawmakers to draw from the experience and use same to reflect on future submissions by not only the PDP, but also the people, civil society and concerned citizens, etc, before they went on to confirm Amaechi’s ministerial appointment despite several allegations of corruption and breaches of rule of law.

“This is the kind of falsehood, mischief and misrepresentation we have been contending with from Chibuike Amaechi, which his allies and the All Progressives Congress, have continued to deny. And good a thing, he is now exhibiting same character to his appointees. This is just the beginning,” Obuah noted.

He said the issue is not whether or not Amaechi should resign as a minister or tender an apology to the National Assembly, “this should serve as an eye-opener and a pointer to the crisis he (Amaechi) instigated that brought about the panel of inquiry that indicted him of a myriad of corrupt practices and fraudulent engagements while he served as governor of Rivers State for eight solid years. We have said it times without number that Amaechi cannot change his true colour under President Buhari, and must remain a cog in the wheel of progress.”

“His early resignation will hardly free the APC members and the unrepentant Amaechi apologists from the world of theory, which is not good for the country. But, please, let Amaechi be!”

•Photo shows Amaechi.