Amaechi moves against Abe’s supporters 

The leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and current Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has vowed to thwart the 2019 governorship ambition of Senator Magnus Abe.

Amaechi, whose relationship with Abe, the senator representing Rivers South East in the National Assembly, has been frosty of late, said nobody could convince him to back his former political ally and godson.

As part of effort to frustrate Abe’s ambition, the minister yesterday suspended Worgu Boms, former attorney general and commissioner for Justice, as the leader of the APC caucus in Port Harcourt Council (PHALGA). 

The minister had since announced former Port Harcourt City Council chairman and one-time Local Government Commission chairman, Nnamdi Wokekoro, as Boms replacement.
Amaechi, who governed the state between 2007 and 2015, also announced the suspension of Chief Tony Okocha, Obio/Akpor Council APC caucus leader and his former Chief of Staff, Government House.

These moves are perceived by political observers as Amaechi’s strategy to whittle down Abe’s rising profile after he won the senatorial rerun election last year.
Amaechi had, during a stakeholders meeting held in Port Harcourt, said he has foreclosed Abe’s governorship ambition as far as the Rivers APC was concerned.

He declared that as long as he remains the leader of the APC in Rivers State, Abe could not be the governorship candidate, asserting that he is the only one that could determine who gets the party’s ticket in 2019 and threatened to suspend any party leader supporting Abe’s candidature.

He berated the senator and the executives of about 15 councils for overheating the polity within the party in the state and also ratified the suspension of Allwell Onyesoh as the leader of the APC caucus in Etche.

It was also gathered that the minister has removed Chidi Wihioka, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, as the leader of the APC caucus in Emohua and picked Mr. Chibike Ikenga as his replacement.