Ahead of 2023 general elections the political dynasty of the former Rivers state governor and Minister for Transportation Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is having a test of his political life as majority of his loyalists are resigning from All Progressives Congress-APC in droves. Irrespective of the build up towards unseating the Peoples Democratic Party -PDP administration in Rivers state, many of the founders of APC in Rivers state are not satisfied with the reward mechanism being applied by Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in his political decisions of sharing political offices among his followers.
The brouhaha in Rivers state APC began immediately the Presidential aspiration of CRA flopped as he came second best among the 28 aspirants who contested for the Presidential Primary election held at Abuja. Before then, there was a substitution of Ministers of which he CRA was instrumental in nominating one Mr. Odi a native of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers state. It was alleged that his choice of Minister Honourable Odum Odi Udi who was a former Chairman of Abua/Odual Local Government Council in Rivers state who was embattled with academic certificate imbroglio while in office as Chairman of Abua /Odual LGA.
In accordance to Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze a political jobber and media consultant one of the reasons why CRA chose Honourable Odum Odi Udi as Minister was because of the fact that the Governorship candidate of APC in Rivers state Architect Tonye Patrick Dele Cole hails from Kalabari axis of Rivers West Senatorial district. Immediately this choice was made first to resign was former Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources Dr. Dawari George, a calm and cool-headed Baptist Church top national administrator and a political stalwart in Akuku Toru Local Government area of Rivers state.
But for Prince Tonye Princewill a former chieftain of APC in Rivers state the choice of a Muslim-Muslim Presidential flag bearer with his running mate defies common reasoning as such he quickly announced his resignation from APC in Rivers state. However, for Honourable Mrs. Ibim Semenitari a former Commissioner for Information and Communications later Acting Managing director of Niger Delta development Commission-NDDC, she severed relationship with the former Governor and Minister for Transportation prior to the APC presidential election where she supported Vice President Yemi Osibanjo Presidential aspiration. And when the incumbent Vice President failed to clinch the 2023 Presidential candidate ticket, she voluntarily resigned from APC in Rivers state.
Already, the Senator Magnus Ngei Abe led Freedom House APC faction in Rivers state had been running a continuous political battle with CRA since 2019 general election where Magnus Abe and his supporters were denied access to delegates Congress elections. Subsequently the Nigerian Supreme Court’s judgment sealed the chances by removing Rivers state APC sponsored candidates from the 2019 ballot papers. Thus, Senator Magnus Abe who is the Rivers state leader of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2023 Presidential Ticket has dumped APC for a yet to be announced political decision for he has assured his supporters that he will be on the ballot for Rivers state Governorship election in 2023. Then came Elder Chidi Frank Wihioka a former member Federal House of Representatives for Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency resigned his membership of APC. Honourable Golden Chioma former factional chairman of Senator Magnus Abe led faction resigned from APC to join Social Democratic Party-SDP. This action fuelled the speculation that Senator Abe must have been set to contest for Rivers state Governorship election under the SDP platform.
While in Ogoni axis of Rivers state many influential APC members such as Celestine Akpobarie also voluntarily resigned his membership of APC in Rivers state. Former National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN Youth leader Marvin Yobanah also announced his resignation from APC. This gale of mass resignation according to political opinion leaders attribute this scenario to leadership style of Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as those who dedicate themselves to the party’s growth in the state are not rewarded accordingly.
In Bonny Island popular former member Rivers state House of Assembly and Commissioner for Transport Honourable George Tolofari resigned his membership of All Progressives Congress-APC in Rivers state. He has been among kitchen cabinet of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s political dynasty. It is gathered that he will be returning to Peoples Democratic Party-PDP to help the Siminialaye Governorship ticket win in the March 2023 General election.
Another disturbing factor is the fact those who followed the former Minister of Transportation over the years have had their expectations dashed as he is no longer in the scheme of things in national and state politics as to them APC current performance has been below average and there are much unforeseen set back in the political life of the former Minister of Transportation whose godfather role they see as bleak as his not developing the fortunes of the party in the state with lopsided appointment and patronage.