Rivers APC Demands Resignation Of National Publicity Secretary

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, demanding his immediate resignation over what it described as reckless and misleading comments on the Rivers political crisis.

The APC Spokesperson in the state Darlington Nwauju in a statement on Tuesday said Morka’s remarks on national television amounted to an open endorsement of legislative overreach and an attempted coup by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.

Nwauju has criticized APC National Spokesperson Felix Morka for comments made on national television, describing them as “embarrassing” and “factually flawed.” when he expressed uncertainty over his role in the current Rivers APC leadership.

He said subsisting judgments in Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023 (Sam Sam Etetegwung v APC) and Suit No. PHC/3859/CS/2024 (OkwuJoe Brown Ndke v APC) had nullified the dissolution of the APC executives elected on October 16, 2021, and invalidated the November 2023 congress convened to replace them.
He added that the rulings firmly upheld his status as the party’s lawful spokesperson.

Nwauju accused Morka of persistently ridiculing and disregarding lawful court orders, thereby casting doubt on the credibility of statements issued by the nationally recognised party leadership in Rivers State.

He said, “…he used to be an official of the old exco but I doubt if he is part of the current exco…”

“The embarrassing response of Mr Morka to the question posed to him by Mr Nifemi of TVC over the status of the Mr Darlington Nwauju who issued statements on behalf of the party in Rivers over the self-serving and unpopular attempt at removing the Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Prof (Mrs) Ngozi Odu from office.

Speaking further, Nwauju said, “We are alarmed at the continuous ridicule, disrespect and disregard for lawful court rulings by Mr Felix Morka which has cast a big question mark to the authenticity of the statements/comments/opinions published by the legally recognized Party Spokesperson in Rivers State.

“We are therefore calling for his disbarment, owing to the fact that Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023 (Sam Sam Etetegwung Vs APC) and Suit No 3859/CS/2024 (OkwuJoe Brown Ndke Vs APC), both nullified the purported dissolution of Executives elected in October 16 2021 and voided the kangaroo congress conducted in November 2023 to replace the Executives elected in October 2021, thereby giving Mr Nwauju the audacity to speak for the party in Rivers.”

Nwauju warned that such narratives undermine internal cohesion and threaten the party’s chances of mobilising effectively and winning elections fairly in the state.

He accused Morka of attempting to “launder the image of a non-party actor” while undermining a sitting APC governor, whom it described as the undisputed leader of the party in Rivers State, urging the National Working Committee to act decisively, stressing that it must not condone actions that deepen divisions and erode internal democracy within the APC.

“This misleading narrative is too dangerous to be ignored by any true member of our party praying for the party to mobilize and win elections fair and square in Rivers for Mr President.

“We dare say that Mr Morka should have kept quiet rather than using his interview to launder the image of a non-party member over and above one of the Party’s Governors who doubles as the undisputable leader of our party in Rivers State.

“Again, we are also aware that the National Working Committee, outside of the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the conscience of our party and should not continue to condone persons who are out to promote divisiveness over and above internal party cohesion,” he stated.

Nwauju warned that any step taken by individuals purportedly “elected” into the Rivers APC leadership through the November 2023 “sham congresses,” conducted under the leadership of Alhaji Umar Ganduje, amounts to a direct challenge to the authority of the courts.

He maintained that structures emerging from such a flawed and unlawful process are devoid of legitimacy and are unlikely to survive judicial scrutiny.

“Our National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwada and Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru must not allow what happened to Rivers APC in 2019, to repeat itself.

“We call attention of Nigerians to the surreptitious plots to attack the State Publicity Secretary of the party in Rivers State over his principled stance on protecting the sovereignty of our Party Constitution, but let it be known to these anti-democratic and agents of darkness, that these threats to personal safety cannot deter us from the truth.”