Crisis in Rivers PDP Intensifies as Police Seal Secretariat

Tensions flared in Port Harcourt, the heart of Rivers State, as law enforcement officers cordoned off the access route leading to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat along Aba Road. This escalation follows murmurs of a potential takeover by an interim executive committee formed in the wake of a court nullification of the previously elected leadership.
The anticipated takeover, which was ultimately deferred, has done little to quell the growing factional unrest within the party. Both rival factions held separate press engagements to assert dominance, underscoring the deepening discord and an inability to forge unity.
A considerable gathering of party loyalists converged at the secretariat complex, their presence mirroring the intensity of the ongoing crisis.
Judicial Battles and Factional Fractures
The embattled Aaron Chukwuemeka-led executive committee, recently restrained from operations by a state High Court ruling, voiced frustration over the burgeoning wave of legal disputes threatening the party’s stability. In an appeal for reconciliation, the faction’s chairman urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to prioritize peace and restoration within the PDP.
State Legal Adviser, Kingsley Chuku (SAN), noted that the party had yet to receive the court’s judgment record. While proceedings have been formally requested, Chuku assured that the ruling would be contested upon receipt. Both Chukwuemeka and Chuku dismissed the legitimacy of the interim executive, asserting that its members are aligned with the All People’s Party (APP) rather than the PDP.
Parallel Leadership Emerges
Meanwhile, the Acting Executive Committee, represented at both state and local levels, convened separately to address the unfolding situation. Their initial strategy to seize control of the secretariat was suspended, with Acting Chairman Robinson Nname-Ewor citing the need to avert chaos.
Nname-Ewor outlined conditions for sustaining the PDP’s relevance in Rivers State, emphasizing the reinstatement of the party’s leadership under Governor Fubara and formal acknowledgment of the interim executive’s authority at the state level.
Furthermore, the interim leadership announced plans to establish a disciplinary panel to scrutinize alleged anti-party behavior, particularly actions linked to the 2023 general elections.
A Party at a Crossroads
Despite the temporary halt in plans to occupy the secretariat, the intensifying hostilities signal that the PDP’s internal struggles are far from resolution. The path forward remains uncertain, as entrenched rivalries and unresolved grievances continue to undermine efforts to restore harmony within the party’s ranks.