Says subsisting court order bars the party from conducting further congresses in the state
Admin l Friday, May 18, 2018
PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – Former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Rivers State, Mr. Wogu Boms has insisted that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had vowed repeatedly that he will never support the governorship ambition of Senator Magnus Ngei Abe on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Boms, the coordinator of Freedom House, Abe’s campaign office, pointed out on Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, that Amaechi had announced at several APC meetings that he is averse to Senator Abe becoming the governor of Rivers State. He referred to a statement made by Amaechi when he addressed Ikwerre Chiefs and Elders Forum, on Sunday, February 11, at Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The minister of transportation declared on that occasion: “There is no fight in the APC. I am not in any way stopping Abe from running for the governorship ( position) , but what I know is that I will not support him . Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son . He is abusing me every day. I will ensure I use Ikwerre vote on him .”
Amaechi told sons and daughters of Ikwerre that he would mobilise the over 1.1 registered voters in Ikwerre local government areas out of the 2.5 million eligible voters in the state against Senator Abe who represents the Rivers South East Senatorial District, in the National Assembly.
Barr Achi Godwin William-Wobodo, an aide to the minister of transportation, who appeared with Barr. Boms in the live programme on Channels Television on Friday morning to debate issues concerning the controversial APC congresses in Rivers State, denied that Amaechi had spoken severally in public on his desire to thwart Abe’s governorship ambition.
William-Wobodo countered Boms when the former attorney-general insisted that the minister of transportation had vowed to deal with Abe with bloc votes from Ikwerre for daring to vie for the governorship in 2019 under the aegis of the APC without his support.
“No, that didn’t happen. Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation never said that he will deal with Senator Abe for daring to contest for the governorship ticket of the APC without his approval at any meeting whatsoever”.
The former attorney-general also stressed during the programme that any attempt by the pro-Amaechi faction of the APC to conduct the state congress, on Saturday, May 19, will be tantamount to a flagrant breach of the existing court order obtained from a Rivers State High Court, on Friday, May 11, restraining the party from conducting the local government congress.
