…Reactions trail dissolution APC Rivers
Eric Olusesan/Port Harcourt
Rivers Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Emeka Beke says his Executive rejects the dissolution of the state Executives of the party by the national body and handing it over to loyalists of Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory and calls for a reversal of the decision.
Beke said: “I’m not even aware of the dissolution but I’m out of the country right now. I’ll talk to you when we have more details about the issue.”
He warns that if the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party refuses to reverse the decision the party should be ready for the consequences of throwing APC in the state into further chaos.
Rivers APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said: “Our legal adviser, Chairman, and the state executives hereby reject the dissolution because it is illegal and cannot stand.”
In his reaction, Chris Finebone, a former State Publicity Secretary of the party before decamping to PDP said what has befallen the party in the state is traceable to bad leadership. Short of mentioning the name of Amaechi, he says that the Leadership never cared for it devoted members who have not enjoyed the dividends of loyalty to the party.
He advised those who are coming into the party to learn from the mistakes of the past in the way the party has been run.
Recall that the national working committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) dissolved the Rivers executive of the party and other Committees of the party thereby sacking the faction of the former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers, appoints Wike loyalists led by Tony Okocha as Chairman Caretaker.
Our Correspondent reports that Tony Okocha, was the former Chief of Staff to Amaechi when he was the Governor of Rivers State but fell out politically, pitched his loyalty to Wike even as APC member.
Okocha is presently a member of the newly inaugurated board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The National Working Committee, NWC, led by the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, also announced the formation of a caretaker committee to oversee the conduct of a congress to elect new excos.
The development comes two months after some party chieftains loyal to former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, led by state Governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, lamented that President Bola Tinubu had subtly sacrificed them for Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his loyalists.
The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, told media at the party secretariat on Wednesday that the committee members will be sworn in on Friday.
Morka, joined by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Ladipo, reeled off the names of Wike’s followers as members of the seven-man caretaker committee.
Morka also said the caretaker committee will hold office for six months until substantive new executive members of Rivers APC are elected into office.
At a media briefing that held at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) announced the dissolution of Rivers State Executives of the Party at all levels.
The Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka who made the announcement called out names of seven persons appointed into Caretaker Committee tasked to steer the affairs of the Party in the State for six months.
Subject to the directives of NWC, the Caretaker Committee will begin the preparation process leading to the conduct of congresses that will facilitate the emergence of new Executive Committees for the Party at at the state, local and ward levels.
Also, the just appointed committee has been mandated to conduct a comprehensive and fresh electronic party registration of all members in the State.
The seven members of the caretaker committee included:
1. Chief Tony C. Okocha – Chairman
2. Chief Eric Nwibani – Secretary
3. Hon. Chibuike Ikenga
4. Prince Stephen Abolo
5. Hon. Silvester Vidin
6. Senibo Karibi Dan-Jumbo
7. Miss Darling Amadi
They will be inaugurated on Friday, 24th November 2023 at the Party’s National Secretariat, Abuja.