....Says party rocked its own boat, ignored warnings
Former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed deep regret over the party's poor performance in Saturday's Local Government elections in Rivers State.
In an interview with Vanguard, Senator Wabara attributed the PDP's failure to internal divisions, stating that the party's refusal to heed wise counsel led to its defeat. He noted that the ongoing political crisis in the state was largely responsible for the party's loss.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) announced that the Action Peoples Party (APP) won 22 out of 23 chairmanship seats, while results from Etche Local Government Area are still being collated. RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd), confirmed that results from 319 councillorship positions across the state's local government areas will be declared after collation.
Wabara lamented that this was the first time in recent history that a ruling party in Rivers State, which has been controlled by the PDP since 1999, lost its grassroots influence to a lesser-known party.
"This is unprecedented in the history of recent local government elections, where the ruling party and the party of the governor lost its grassroots structure. The PDP has shot itself in the leg. If we look deeper, it means that technically and literally, the PDP has lost Rivers State," Wabara stated.
He expressed doubt over PDP's chances of reclaiming the state in the 2027 elections, regretting that the warnings from party elders about the crisis were ignored.
"We saw this coming and warned the key players, but instead of heeding our advice, we were ridiculed. Now, the consequences are clear for everyone to see."
Wabara emphasized that the outcome of the local government elections serves as a reminder that political parties must not take the will of the people for granted. He urged party stakeholders to make the necessary sacrifices to rebuild and reposition the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.
"I believe we have learned the hard way, but it's not too late. We must come together as a family, resolve our differences, and work towards emerging stronger in 2027," Wabara concluded.
