Sheathe your swords, PDP tells Wike, Dickson

By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State to “sheathe their swords”.

The two governors have publicly engaged each other in a verbal war bordering on official and personal animosity in the past few days.

The disagreement between the two PDP Governors is believed to have been triggered by the dispute over ownership of the Soku oil wells, which were being held by Bayelsa state until the a court, in a ruling last week, declared Rivers state as the rightful owner of the wells.

Apparently piqued by the court’s ruling, Governor Dickson had accused Governor Wike of attempting to annex Ijaw land with Rivers while the latter accused the former of planning to cause crisis in communities in Rivers state.

The disagreement has continued to degenerate, with the duo calling each other names and taking the matter personally in public.

But the PDP, in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, called on the two governors to stop the brick bats and allow the leadership of the party resolve the matter amicably.

The statement said: “The national leadership, having noted the issues, has activated the party’s internal reconciliation mechanism to settle the matter amicably.

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“The PDP recognises that the tone of disagreements between the two respected governors was skin-deep and only borne out of their love and zeal for their respective states.

“The PDP leadership hereby urges both Governors Wike and Dickson, as eminent leaders and frontline stakeholders in our party, to sheathe their swords while the leadership harmoniously resolves the issue.

“We therefore assure all our leaders, critical stakeholders, members and supporters of our great party, particularly in Rivers and Bayelsa states, to remain calm and united, as the issue is already being resolved.

“The PDP restates that it remains one big indivisible family and will not allow anything to undermine its unity and focus especially at this trying time in the history of our nation”.