Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of deliberately planting moles within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State.
The governor alleged that the ruling party’s strategy is to fuel internal divisions for political gains.
Mohammed made the accusations when the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, paid him a visit on Wednesday.
DAILY POST reports that the visit comes just 24 hours after the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party visited the governor, who doubles as the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.
Governor Mohammed expressed concern over the ongoing power struggle within the Rivers State PDP between the incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the APC-led government.
His words: “We have to close ranks. It is something that is baffling some of us but any challenge is not insurmountable; it will be surmounted by the grace of God and we will find a solution to that and that is why there is a problem.
“It is only PDP with the experience of governance that is being challenged. And you will notice that this is a creation of the other side (APC).
“They want us to be in disarray; it (the crisis) is the creation of the APC. They always want to have moles within us; they want to have the knowledge of what is happening within us
“And you can see that even Wike who is in the APC and in the PDP is performing very well. They (APC) don’t have people who can perform like our members and that is why they chose to pick him and give him a state-like structure to run, and to us, it is a commendation.”
However, Mohammed assured that efforts are underway to take decisive action to unify the party, stating, “We cannot compromise the peace and unity of our great party.”
In his remarks, BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara commended Governor Mohammed for his initiatives in resolving the crisis, expressing the BoT’s willingness to support his efforts.
Wabara revealed that the BoT plans to engage the two factions in Rivers State in separate meetings to address the issues.
Wabara further expressed disappointment with the ongoing challenges in the PDP, particularly the National Working Committee’s actions and the leadership crisis in Rivers State.
He noted: “We are not happy with what is happening in the Party, and I think Nigerians too are not happy with what is happening in the PDP, particularly in Rivers State.”