ABUJA — THE National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not settled the controversy over the appointment of Mr. Godspower Ake as successor to the former National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the party, the late Chief Aminasoari Kala Dikibo and this was confirmed by the National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh.
Ogbeh had confirmed this at the end of a meeting of the NWC Wednesday night shortly after swearing in the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party from Kwara State, Mr. Olabode Ojomo.
He said that the party was still working on the appointment of Ake (who also attended the NWC meeting) with a view to ensuring that there was no tension in the South-South zone. Ake was Governor Peter Odili’s former Special Adviser on Land Matters and nominee for the position.
According to Ogbeh, “we do not want any tension anywhere in the country, least of all the South-South zone, because the truth is that if there is something like that in that zone today, we cannot afford it as a party. The same thing is with every other zone.”
He expressed the party’s gratitude to the South-South zone for what he said it was doing for the country: “We are grateful to the South-South zone; we appreciate what they are doing for the country; we did try to avoid reaching where we reached, but there were other extenuating circumstances, which I did mention earlier but we will get there eventually. I think tempers are calming down and I think we will arrive there.”
He had said earlier that at the meeting of the NWC with the South-South governors, one of them (governors) had raised the matter, which he (the governor) reportedly said had caused some irritations that were discomfiting to the relationship among some “of the party’s able leadership in the zone.”
Recall that the appointment of Ake had pitched the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih and Governor Peter Odili who are backing Ake against the four governors of Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa and Edo, namely Victor Attah, James Ibori, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Lucky Igbinedion respectively who are backing Dr. Tarila Tebepah, Alamieyeseigha’s nominee for the position", he said.
