Explains planned boycott of Rivers council polls
The Caretaker Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tony Okocha, has insisted that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, remains an “unrepentant” member of the opposition Peoples Democratic party (PDP).
Speaking to reporters at APC’s national secretariat, yesterday, in Abuja, he explained why the party would not field candidates to vie for the forthcoming local council polls in the state scheduled to be held on October 5.
Okocha referred to an order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSEIC), as well as directing the Nigerian Army, the State Security Services (SSS) not to give security cover, as basis for the decision to boycott the polls.
He claimed that the planned Rivers council polls are already flawed since Governor Siminalayi Fubara has already positioned his cronies to fill the council seats in breach of laid down rules and regulations.
Okocha, who faulted the notion that the Rivers APC is being teleguided by Wike, acknowledged that as loyal members of APC, they are left with no option but to have a sound relationship with him since he is a serving minister in the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The Rivers APC caretaker chairman, who served as a Chief of Staff to the former Governor of the state and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, remarked that he doesn’t know whether Amaechi is still a card-carrying member of the APC or not.
He said: “Wike is with the PDP, an unrepentant PDP member. What’s his link with us? Would anybody suggest that as a serving minister we should be at daggers drawn with him? Definitely not. He doesn’t attend our meetings. So, at what point does he influence APC in Rivers? His influence is that he is a serving minister under an APC government. We can’t be at daggers drawn with him!”
On the issue of Ameachi, he said: “I have no question to answer. I was Chief of Staff to him. Recall that at one point, he got into the Law School, and from there, he became incommunicado. You are also aware that after the presidential primary election, he disappeared into thin air.”
