Former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has said that he regrets supporting the emergence of Governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2007.
Odili, who spoke on Saturday during Nyesom Wike’s campaign tour in Ndoni Local Government Area on Saturday, lamented how Amaechi used and dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, structure put in place by its founding fathers.
The former governor noted that but for the quick intervention of the former Minister of State for Education and Rivers PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, the party would have crumbled after Amaechi’s defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Odili, however, said the PDP had accepted that it made a mistake by fielding Amaechi in 2007, assuring that the party is set correct the error in 2015.
“We thought we did the right thing by supporting Amaechi to become the governor. We left a united state; we also left a united party. The PDP was one, Rivers State is the PDP,” Odili said.
“There was no other party in Rivers State other than the PDP. Whatever the party hierarchy said would happen. The secretary is here to support what I am telling you here today.
“With all the best intentions, we supported his political career and ambition. We thought we did what was best for the state. As you know, until a man has power and has money, you don’t really know him.
“One thing is clear; we have accepted our mistake and we are determined to correct it in 2015. Who would have thought that a governor who won an election on the platform of the PDP would defect with the mandate of the party to another?
“The elders of the party who are here can corroborate what I am saying here today. We ran a cohesive party. We had respect for the elders of the party. We had respect for party members.”
Expressing gratitude to Wike for reuniting the PDP, Odili thanked him for his efforts with an assurance that leaders of the party in the state are solidly behind his candidature.
“I thank the candidate of the PDP for the 2015 governorship election and the next governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for miraculously rescuing the party from disintegration and working tirelessly to unite the members,” Odili said.
“By the special grace of God in February, we are going to the polls. The first election is to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. The second election will be the governorship election where our candidate, Wike, will emerge as the next governor of Rivers State.”
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