The New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) has advised acting Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, and APGA governorship Candidate during the 2011 gubernatorial election in Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, to lay down their arms and give peace a chance in their home state, Rivers.

New PDP, in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, accused Wike and Omehia of archestrating crisis in Rivers State so as to distract Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and destabilise his administration.

“Omehia has been in court since the Supreme Court removed him shortly after he erroneously assumed office as Rivers State governor in 2007, declaring Amaechi to be the rightful occupant of the Brick House Government House. Strangely, Omehia has refused to end the litigation process despite Amaechi having finished that tenure and winning a re-election thereafter,” Eze said, adding:

“We are, however, not surprised by his attitude, for apart from being desperate for power, Omehia has allowed himself to become a tool in the hands of the acting Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, who has devoted enormous resources towards the destabilisation of the Amaechi administration just to please his paymasters in Abuja.”

New PDP congratulated Amaechi for flooring Sir Omehia at the Supreme Court on Monday and advised him to remain focussed.

According to the statement, “While we congratulate Governor Amaechi on this latest victory, we at the same time wish to appeal to Omehia, Wike and their co-travelers in this futile and macabre dance to correctly read the handwriting on the wall and give peace a chance as there is a limit to every plot. If they truly love Rivers State as they claim, they should call the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which they have been using to cause confusion in Rivers State, to order and allow peace to reign once again in the state to enable Governor Amaechi work with less distractions and concentrate on delivery the democracy dividends for which his administration is well known.

“Since the resolve of Chief Wike to fight the structure he assisted to build and instead gave birth to GDI which has done him and those he assume to be fronting for much harm than good and has put Rivers State under tension since then, appeal to allow calm to once again prevail in Rivers State becomes imperative at this juncture.

“That Gov Amaechi has done more than any other Governor that have governed Rivers State in terms of providing quality education, quality health services, road and institutional infrastructure, etc, is not in doubt and distracting him the way Wike and his people are doing when he is eager to provide more dividends of democracy is not the best way to assist in the growth and development of Rivers State. His tenure ends by 2015 and God has in several ways points to us that this man is His and no amount of blackmail and evil machinations against him will prevail so let him be for once for the peace and growth of our State.

“We salute Gov Amaechi not minding all these distractions has continued to prove his mettle as a good leader of our people and have attracted all manner of awards and recognition to him and Rivers State as a whole in the face of unwarranted persecution and political victimisation.”

•Photo shows Sir Omehia.