Bamanga on fence mending visit to Amaechi

Category: Inside politics Published on Monday, 11 February 2013 05:59 Written by Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt

In what has been described as a fence-mending visit to resolve the strained relationship between the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur arrived Port Harcourt for a meeting with Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is the chairman of the Forum.

Tukur who arrived Port Harcourt Saturday for a 2-day working visit, was taken round to inspect some of the projects executed by the governor in the past five years but the purpose of the visit is believed to be in order to accord the PDP leadership the opportunity to have a closed-door discussion with the chairman of the NGF.

“I came to Rivers State to see one of our good members. And to see some beautiful projects that are executed by the PDP government in Rivers State. I have seen schools, hospitals, good roads and many other good projects”, Tukur said when he fielded questions from Journalists at the 29th convocation of the University of Port Harcourt, on Saturday.

The visit of the PDP national chairman was shrouded in secrecy as Journalists in the state were not informed about his coming to the state at a time when there is a serious crisis between the leadership of the party and the NGF.

In a press statement dispatched on Friday morning few hours before the arrival of Tukur, the state publicity secretary of the party, Ukwuoma Nwaogba had said that the party chairman will visit the state but did not state the date and time of the visit.

Source say some members of the PDP in Rivers State were kept in the dark by few powerful forces in the party so as not to give room to some aggrieved members to embarrass the chairman.

A source disclosed that the PDP chairman went into a closed door meeting with Governor Amaechi after the project tour. The outcome of the meeting was not known but it will not be unconnected with how to resolve the on-going cold war within the party.