Fresh crisis rocks Rivers APC as Abe faction inaugurates parallel exco

Urges Wike to prepare handover note

Fresh crisis engulfed the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, as the Senator Magnus Abe-led faction, inaugurated a parallel executive.

The move is coming four days after former Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s group announced its executive. Before the APC state congresses on Saturday, residents had felt the crisis coming, especially with the Supreme Court ruling that sacked the Abe faction caretaker committee chairman, Igo Aguma, who has since decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There was also Golden Chioma, an ardent supporter of Abe, indicating interest to contest the chairmanship position in the party.

It emerged, however, at the early hours of the congress that Chioma and other members loyal to Abe had boycotted the congress organised by the Amaechi-led faction.

The Guardian gathered later that Chioma and his group held a parallel congress at a yet-to-be disclosed venue same day. The group also described the elections by the Amaechi faction as a nullity.

While inaugurating the officers at Freedom House, a campaign office set up by Abe in 2019, located at G.R.A Port Harcourt, Chioma urged Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to prepare his handover note, affirming that APC would take over administration of the state in 2023.

He said: “We are the political party that is only known to contest election. We don’t want to be the second best. We want to be the best and we want to produce the next governor of Rivers State.

“May I, at this juncture, serve a notice to the governor of Rivers State, who happens to be my classmate at the faculty of law. We proceeded to the Nigerian Law School where we both obtained the LLB degree. Please, prepare your handover note. You must leave in 2023. This state is so important to the Nigerian project; we cannot continue to be in the opposition.”

He urged supporters not to be scared by APC members on the other side, who, according to him, have taken it upon themselves to intimidate people.

“We cannot all agree with your views. But we can share affiliation with you. It takes a man of courage and competence to stand where we are standing because we do not have any invoice in any of the ministries they supervise. We will continue to insist the right things are done,” he said.

An ardent believer in the Amaechi faction, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, meanwhile, expressed hope that with the emergence of Emeka Bekee as APC chairman, the party is closer to winning the state.