APC should learn to accept defeat - Tam-George

Speaking on the peace pact between the minister of transportation and former Governor of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi and Wike, the commissioner also said the opposition needs to accept defeat.

The commissioner also added that "Peace pacts and handshakes by political leaders are good because they have powerful symbolic value. But I think that the APC will have to develop the democratic temper to accept defeat. So it goes beyond standing before a camera man in Abuja."

He said "Governor Wike has taken concrete conciliatory steps to work with everyone, even those in the opposition. He has an office and a special adviser on inter-party relations. The Governor’s intention is to keep his ears and doors open for cooperation and collaboration. But the APC’s response has always been to slam the door shut. They seem to be unable to cooperate, even in the interest of the State. It’s an unacceptable behaviour in a democracy."

Commenting on reports of clashes between cultists and the war of words between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tam-George said "I believe that much of that feeling arises from a mischaracterisation of the political reality in Rivers State. Let me spell it out clearly: the reality is that Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is the Governor of Rivers State.

"Everywhere in the world, politics might be a noisy and clamorous affair. But once the votes are counted after the elections, everyone should be able to accept the outcome. In the 2015 general election in Rivers State, Wike was declared as the winner by INEC. His victory was ultimately validated by the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgement.

"Unfortunately, our friends in the All Progressives Congress, APC, seem unwilling to accept this fact. They seem to be philosophically opposed to the reality that they lost the election. I say this with infinite regret because a political party that can only accept victory but not defeat is as close as you could get to political fundamentalism.

And I think that this kind of absolutist politics poses an existential threat to democracy in the country "

Governor Nyesom Wike recently said the feud between him and his predecessor,Rotimi Amaechi, is purely political.