Crisis Hit Rivers APC As Party Removes Amaechi’s Allies

The post election crises that have hit state chapters of several political parties have also hit the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the party has removed key allies of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

The party in what it declared as an “extra-ordinary meeting” removed its Southsouth zonal chairman, Victor Giadom and the zonal Secretary, Ita Udosen.

The party immediately announced that while Giadom was replaced with Blessing Agbomhere, Udosen was replaced by Edet Ita Asia, all in acting capacities.

Party members who reportedly signed the resolution were Agbomhere, Asia; Zonal Legal Adviser, C. ogbuobodo; Zonal Youth Leader, Ebimowei Oyas and Zonal Woman Leader, Cynthia Princewill, citing sections 13, 25, 14 and 21 of the party’s constitution.

Giadom’s ascension to the party’s Zonal chairmanship position as a member of the National Executive Committee of the party, was made possible by Amaechi.

Both are political allies with Giadom being Amaechi’s eyes and ears at the national level.

The Amaechi-led APC, which controls the party structure in the state, has been cut-off from the federal level, even as the party prepares for the inauguration of its candidate, Bola Tinubu, who was a few months ago declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

Amaechi was an aspirant and refused to step down for Tinubu. He also opposed Tinubu’s candidature during the campaign with reports of him preferring Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, emerging at the time.

He was also reported to have made a plan to return to the PDP especially as his political struggle with the governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, took a dramatic twist.

Wike opposed Atiku and used the PDP state structure in support of Tinubu, with reports of his preparation to defect to the APC alleged, which is still gaining momentum due to series of activities after the election.

The state chapter of the party has accused Wike of causing division in the party due to his preference for Tinubu and desire to decamp to benefit from the spoils of electoral victory.

To justify this position, it emerged over the weekend that Wike has been pencilled down by the president-elect to be appointed Federal Minister of Interior. This has, however, not been made official.

However, the state chapter of the party explained that it took a decision for poor running of the party, embezzlement and sundry allegations.

“The Zonal Chairman has refused to make use of the Zonal Office of the party situated at no 46a, Orogbum Street, GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and has frustrated every attempt of any member(s) to use the office for the efficient running of the zone’s political activities,” the resolution of the party said.

It further said, “The Zonal Chairman has consistently refused, aborted and frustrated every effort to hold meetings, to coordinate and strategize on how to win the general elections in the zone, and caused members of the zonal Executive Committee disunity and frustration in their personal efforts to winning votes for the party, and this affected the collective performance of the party at the zone.

“The zonal Chairman has bluntly refused accepting or receiving complaints and petitions from the states that make up the zone, while sabotaging every effort to make the zonal party secretariat operational and functional in the interest of all the members of the party in the zone, leaving members and leaders in the zone to resorting to self help, thereby encouraging intra-party disputations.

“The zonal chairman refused to account for the funds remitted by the national body to the zonal body and donations from party’s faithful for the running of the affairs of the zone.

“In consideration of the aforementioned reasons, we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on him as the zonal chairman and he is hereby removed as the Zonal Chairman of the zonal Executive Committee of the party”.

On Udosen, party said, “That after due deliberation, and in our committed effort to reorganize the party in the Southsouth Zone, we the undersigned Zonal Executive Committee members passed a resolution whereby members nominated and appointed Dr. Blessing Agbomhere as the Acting Zonal Chairman (South-South) whereas Chief Edet Ita Asia as the Acting Zonal Secretary in conjunction with their present positions.

“It is also hereby resolved that all the petitions, complaints and correspondence should henceforth be forwarded to the Southsouth APC Liaison Office at APC Secretariat, Murtala Mohammed Highway, Calabar, Cross River State”.

But the Zonal Public Relations Officer of the party, David Okumgba, denied there was a meeting at the address shared as he was there yet witnessed nothing of such.

He said, “I was at the party secretariat on the day they claimed they held that meeting but there was no such meeting.

“There is no way a resolution will emerge from a meeting that did not hold. We appeal to members of the public to discountenance the communique”, he said.