Delta government says Uduaghan didn’t walk out of PDP meeting

Delta State government has refuted report in some national newspapers that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan walked out on the South-South Special Zonal Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside the host governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Chike C. Ogeah, Delta State commissioner for information, in a statement on Monday, said Governor Uduaghan sought the consent of Bamanga Tukur, national chairman of PDP, who presided over the meeting, before leaving.

According to him, “On arrival in Port Harcourt, Dr. Uduaghan had informed Alhaji Tukur of his desire to return to Asaba same day. Given that Asaba Airport closes to air traffic by 5p.m, the governor had sought the permission of the chairman to exit the meeting whenever it gets to the threshold of arriving Asaba Airport ahead of its closure to air traffic”.

Continuing, he said, “Alhaji Tukur had graciously agreed to let Governor Uduaghan leave to enable him return to Asaba on time. When eventually it was time to leave for the return flight to Asaba, Dr. Uduaghan again notified the chairman who wished him a safe flight”.

Ogeah noted that Governor Amaechi, as the host, had to see Uduaghan off, saying that at no time was there any disagreement to elicit a walk out by anybody.

He said, “Tukur had conducted the meeting in an atmosphere of candour and camaraderie and before Dr. Uduaghan left the meeting all the parties present had addressed the meeting”, including Uduaghan.

“We want to assume that the journalists who misrepresented the events may have genuinely misunderstood the early departure of Governor Uduaghan who was accompanied to the airport by Governor Amaechi. “However, to have reached a serious conclusion as their reports did in stating that the two governors walked out of the meeting required more diligence. It is obvious that no official from any state could have suggested such interpretation to the press as no such thing happened. In effect, it is important that arm chair interpretations must be eschewed by the press in reporting events of national significance”, the commissioner said.