In Rivers State, the politics of zoning and dichotomy is currently causing uproar within the state’s PDP. The issue is still causing much controversy even after the party’s governorship primary. Observers feel the scenario might bring sharp divide into the party towards next year’s general elections.Chief Sergeant Chidi Awuse, a PDP chieftain, unarguably, is an encyclopedia of Rivers politics. He has been actively involved in the state’s politics right from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) era when the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida introduced diarchy. Since then, there was hardly any dispensation Awuse did not contest for the governorship position on diverse political platforms. In his radical approach to become governor of the state right from the time of old Rivers, Awuse might have arguably pioneered the controversial upland and riverine dichotomy. So, the issue of Rivers dichotomy is a stuff he knows well.
In this interview with Daily Sun, he insists that placing dichotomy before merit in today’s Rivers politics will be rather parochial and counterproductive. According to him, for PDP to win the 2015 governorship election in the state, the party has to present a candidate, who has the winning capacity.
Awuse also spoke on the chances of PDP and APC in 2015 presidential election. Excerpt:
What is your take on the raging issue of upland and riverine dichotomy in Rivers State politics? Is it true that you have a zoning arrangement in the state that it is the turn of the riverine people to produce the governor in 2015.
I want to let you know that we had not sat any day to say this is our zoning arrangement. The closest attempt we made was during the time of old Rivers State, during the SDP and NRC era. I remember that, then, we had about 14 local government areas in Rivers State and we met at Erijoy Hotel along Trans Amadi. We agreed that the zoning formula would be installed in Rivers State. I asked why and everybody said they wanted the governorship to go to the riverine and chairmanship to go to upland and I said no. I said was not the proper zoning arrangement. I said we had to test our popularity through vote. And we agreed that if the chairmanship position of the party was decided, automatically the governorship would go the other way. It became a battle of politicians.
My group was focusing on riverine chairmanship and the riverine group was led by Dikibo. Metima, Bekinbo, Soboriko were all there and I think Pere Ajua was there too and so many of them.
So, we did the SDP chairmanship Congress at the Port Harcourt City Council Hall and two candidates emerged; one riverine and one upland. The riverine candidate was the late Matthew Mamah from Tombia now Bayelsa State and they went to my local government area, Ikwerre Etche, and picked Engr. Nwenike. We went to battle. I led the group of those supporting Mamah and the late A.K. Dikibo led the group that supported Engr. Nwenike. At the end of the contest conducted under the supervision of Amah Pepple, Mamah won the election. I thought the argument had been settled, that the election was now for the upland to produce the governorship candidate. Do you know what happened? None of those that agreed with us in Erijoy that when the chairmanship was won then the governorship would be automatically zoned to the opposite area upheld the aggreement.
They broke the accord in the then old Rivers State. They refused and quashed the zoning arrangement. That was what began the journey we are in today. People did not know that the upland people wanted zoning as far back as the time I am talking about and they said no.
When we came to the new Rivers State and when Peter (Odili) became Governor, I wasn’t the only candidate that ran the primary against him. There were Riverine candidates that ran the election also to become governor of Rivers State but Peter and I were the major candidates.
In 2007 when I ran the election, I was not the only one that ran the election even in ANPP, there were Riverine candidates. At no time can you say that an upland man is running an election and there were no Riverine contestants or Riverine man is running an election and there were no upland contestants based on zoning, there was never any zoning. Fundamentally, today in PDP you cannot talk about zoning.
What is happening now is like what happens during a military coup. In every military take over there are new administrators and those administrators can come from anywhere. Today, Rivers State is not in the hand of PDP. Rivers State is in the hands of APC so it is like a coup. Amaechi made a coup, took away the PDP to APC. A new PDP has been built and in that new PDP nobody can tell us that in going for our first election under that new PDP that we should not go with our best. We must go with our best. Wike is the best today, he has the capacity, he has the followership. Today he is the best in the state.
What can you say about the crisis rocking the Judiciary in the state?
We have to apologise to the people of Rivers State for campaigning and voting for Amaechi. It is the worst thing ever to happen in any part of Nigeria that people will be paid to go on strike. Civil servants are paid money to go on strike. What is the business of the executive with the judiciary? The judiciary is actually not a part of the executive. The government of the day should have it as a duty to restore the effective functioning of the other two arms of the government. Now if Amaechi is not the one who paid them to go on strike what effort is he making as governor of the state to ensure that our judiciary is back? He closed the state judiciary because of fear, to protect self from impeachment. That level of selfishness must be questioned.
The legislature is not functioning. We are aware that they sit in government house. We are aware that few weeks ago the same legislature met in government house and approved that Amaechi should collect 19billion of our savings for him to spend and orchestrate his vice presidential ambition. It is our money and let me tell you. We will ask questions at the right time.
What are the PDP chances in Rivers State in next year election in the state, bearing in mind that this is the first time Rivers will experience real opposition politics?
I do not agree with you. I championed a political movement here in 2003 and it was an effective opposition. This is not the first time we are having opposition in the state. So that opposition from Amaechi cannot do anything. If I could not move PDP then, Amaechi’s APC cannot move PDP today.
Who is the opposition in Rivers State APC or PDP?
APC.
How? They are in power
They are not in power. That government was installed by PDP and a fraction of them left for selfish reasons. The act in the body of PDP is still intact in Rivers State, I can assure you. 2015 election will attest to it.
What about PDP chances in 2015 Presidential election?
PDP will win the election. Jonathan will be back to Aso Rock. Jonathan has to come back. You shouldn’t ask me my indices because they are there to speak for themselves. Look, we are not young people, we have served various governments in Nigeria. We can effectively compare and contrast. We have been part of this for a long time. What has he not done right? Yet as a human being he might have made one or two mistakes. But they are bound to happen. Even in very big political economies there are mistakes. But this is a man who came and gave Nigerians hope through his transformation agenda. I am not the Spokesperson of government but I have my eyes and I have my ears and I have my brain to coordinate the two senses. We believe he is doing well and what he has done is enough to garner votes for him to become president again in 2015. And I can tell you nobody can stop him. Sorry, Buhari just can’t win.
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