AS AMAECHI BOWS TO PRESSURES ON GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES
Admin l Sunday, April 08, 2018
PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – The seeming crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been confirmed by two chieftains of the party. Former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms, in Amaechi’s second term, and Hon. Golden Chioma, member of the Rivers State House of Assembly in the 7th assembly, declared that the crisis was provoked by Senator Magus Ngei Abe’s willingness to vie for the APC’s governorship ticket in the 2019 general elections.
Both APC chieftains maintained in an interview in Port Harcourt, that the unwillingness of the leader of the APC in Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to allow for a governorship primary to enable party delegates choose their preferred candidate as the party’s flag bearer in a free, fair and credible primary by delegates acknowledged by the party in the state led to the long-running crisis.
Boms and Chioma, however, stated that they are hopeful that the crisis in the party will be amicably resolved because the Amaechi who is the leader of the party in the state has bowed to pressures that all interested governorship aspirants in Rivers State will be now be subjected to a governorship primary, giving delegates the opportunity to vote for the aspirant they believe can attain victory at the polls.
Boms asked: “If there was no crisis, why did Amaechi declare that Abe is daring him? If there was no crisis, why did Amaechi boast that he will rally Ikwerre’s who have the largest voting strength going by figures of registered voters released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, against Abe? If there was no crisis in the APC, why did Amaechi remove the leaders of the party’s caucus in Port Harcourt Local Government; Obio/Akpor; Etche; Gokana; Tai; and other local government areas in the state?”
Chioma, a former chairman of the committee of judiciary in the Rivers State House of Assembly entreated: “If there was no crisis in the APC, how come that the state executive of the party has been rendered powerless by Amaechi? If there was no crisis in the APC, how come the state executive can no longer call for a meeting of party leaders in the state? If there was no crisis how come party leaders considered loyal to Senator Abe are asked to leave meetings of APC leaders in the state?”
Boms and Chioma insisted that the Free Rivers Development Initiative, FRDI, led by a former Commissioner of Works during the Rufus Ada-George administration in 1992, CHIEF Samson Ngerebara, has taken over the duties of the state executive committee of the party. “The FRDI is wholly funded by Amaechi. All APC events are now coordinated by the FRDI. The FRDI has taken over the functions of the APC executive in the state, local government as well as the wards.”
Chioma lamented: “You are sent out of FRDI events once you are considered loyal to Senator Abe. Clearly, there are now two factions of the APC in Rivers State, going by the disposition, statements and actions of Amaechi, who incidentally is the leader of the party in the state. Even those who were nominated for board appointments before Abe made known his intention to contest for the governor under the aegis of the APC have been threatened that their names will be dropped from the list.”
Boms stated: ‘You are labeled an enemy of Amaechi once you are considered as being sympathetic and loyal to Senator Abe’s ambition to become governor of the state on the platform of the APC. Chairmen and secretaries of the party at the wards and local governments have been threatened with sack if they show any iota of support for Abe’s governorship ambition. The truth is that Amaechi’s unwillingness to accept that Abe has the fundamental right to aspire to be governor of the state on the platform of the APC is the cause of the crisis in Rivers APC.”
Chioma fumed: “Amaechi is the cause of the problem in Rivers APC. We as members of the party have the right to support any member of the party that we believe can adequately represent the APC at the 2019 general elections. We are interested in the survival of the party; therefore, we want the best candidates to represent the party in all the positions that will be contested for in 2019.”
The former attorney-general wondered; “How come the FRDI is calling for meetings of party leaders in the wards and local governments and the APC state executive is keeping quiet? Do the FDRI take permission from the state executive before using the party’s colours ands insignia when holding its events? Party leaders have been declared redundant and cannot take any decision without consulting Amaechi. However, no matter the frustrations, we will not leave APC. We are interested in the survival of the party.”
Boms and Chioma maintained that the constitution of a reconciliation committee by APC stakeholders in support of Senator Abe’s governorship ambition to reach out to party leaders in the wards, local governments and the state indicate that Abe wants peace and reconciliation and means well for the party. Being evasive about the conflict within the Rivers APC will not augur well for the electoral fortunes of the party in the 2019 general elections. We must all admit that we have a crisis and sit down to address what the problem is.”
