Dakuku Peterside, a former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has called for the rebuilding of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state.
The likes of Tonye Princewill, an APC chieftain in the state, defected from the party after Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate, chose Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Rivers on Thursday, Peterside said the doors of the party should remain open to receive defectors who want to come back.
The former NIMASA DG said Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, is already making moves to unite the party and that other leaders should follow suit.
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“I want to thank the people who have left the party for the services rendered to the party in the past and friendship shared. I regret the fact that we shall all miss them and the comradeship we all enjoyed,” he said.
“This is not unusual at the end of any political transition as people are free to exercise their democratic right in a multiparty democracy.
“Let me advise my party members to respect the choices people make for therein lies our humanity. Lack of respect for individual choices has, in the recent past, contributed to the tension we face as a people from time to time. People resign or defect for different reasons.
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“Now that it is evidently inevitable that we have lost some of our comrades to other endeavors, it is time we pull together to rebuild the party, draw new strength and march towards our desired destination.
“I am aware that our governorship candidate is taking urgent steps to propel the party to new enviable heights. I will encourage him and stand with him in this mission.
“I plan to work with other leaders and stakeholders of the party in Rivers state to start a massive grassroots mobilization program for our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Vice Presidential candidate, His Excellency, Kashim Shettima.”
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