UPDATE: Akawor, Federal Commissioner newly appointed by Tinubu, resigns as Rivers PDP Chairman

By OUR REPORTER

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, has resigned as head of the party, updates from Port Harcourthave revealed.

His resignation letter surfaced on Friday barely a few hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him Federal Commissioner, under All Progressives Congreas (APC)-led Federal Government, to represent Rivers State in the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (FAAC).

Akawor, in the letter dated November 22, 2023, and addressed to the PDP acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umaru Damagun, said his resignation is connected to his appointment.

He noted that he had since handed over to his deputy, Aaron Chukwuemeka.

The letter read, “I have recently been nominated for a Federal appointment to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission as the Federal Commissioner representing Rivers State.

”After consultation with my leaders and family, I have accepted this opportunity to serve our country, which I consider a national service.

“Consequently, I have resigned my position as the Rivers State party chairman of our great party- yhe PDP, and immediately handed over all duties to the Deputy Party Chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka, who has commenced action in this stead.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have steered the ship of our great party, the PDP at the state level from 2020 to 2023, and especially grateful for your support and the support of the national body during my
tenure

“My family and I are extremely grateful to Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for his consideration and for finding me worthy to serve in this capacity.

“I remain committed to the ideals of our party always and will continue to be available to provide, steer, and support for all party affairs whenever I am called upon.”

Tinubu had on Thursday, appointed, Akawor, to serve as a Federal Commissioner— representing Rivers State— of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, pending confirmation by the Senate.

Akawor was appointed “following the tragic demise of the immediate past RMAFC Federal Commissioner from Rivers State, Asondu Temple, earlier this month,” a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed.

The statement was titled ‘President Tinubu approves appointment of RMAFC Federal Commissioner.’

Until his appointment, Akawor served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Korea; Minister of State of the Federal Capital Territory; Sole Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt Development Authority; CEO, Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, and Executive Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (Engineering & Technical Services).

The President tasked the new Federal Commissioner to “deploy his robust experience across tiers of government toward the comprehensive reformation of processes that will ensure the most efficient and productive utilisation of allocations to all three tiers of government in Nigeria.”

Earlier, The DEFENDER had reported “RIVERS: Questions over existence of APC as party’s Tinubu appoints another state PDP chieftain Federal Commissioner”.

We reported that the latest appointment of yet another PDP chieftain to office that members of All Progressives Congress in Rivers State should more reasonably occupy has raised a lot of questions.

Tinubu, leader of the APC, is viewed beyond his claim of government of national unity as what he does in Rivers is helping in the opposition in PDP in its total extermination of his party, APC, and to the personal interest of one man, Nyesom Wike, as against interest of the massive APC population in the state.

Reportedly, Wike, PDP who still struggles to dictate the tune in an opposition PDP where Atiku Abubakar is leader, has since been compensated by Tinubu with Rivers slot of Minister for helping kill his own APC in the state.

“Tinubu is PDP in Rivers but APC in Abuja. How does a politician justify and defend this? By this, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim of how Tinubu went behind of the AC they both formed in 2007 to work wmfor PDP’s President Umar Yar’Adua is confirmed.

“Nigeria now governed as it pleases the personal interest of the man in the Office of the President, not as it pleases Nigeria because, there is no way he can convince even non-APC members that he us himself not doing anti-party to his own party that he leads with all of this.

“If you want to show the Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership style, this is not how. Nigerians wanted Tinubu to show Buhari’s leadership style in Kano, Zanfara, Plateau, Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa by allowing electorate to vote for candidates of their choices across the parties. That was what Buhari did and it was not anti-party but best way to use the electoral system to unite Nigerians for development.

“Practically, Tinubu by his actions, has shown that he is comfortable and proud that he helps kill a whole state structure of APC, his own party, in Rivers State with same treatment done in Oyo State where aside supporting PDP to win governorship, he went ahead to give ministerial slot to a non-APC member,” a concerned party man in Rivers complained.