Okenyi Kenechi
The struggle for the control of the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress seems to have gained momentum as it has finally attracted the attention of the National Leadership of the party.
Sources say the party’s leadership has been meeting in order to resolve the differences between the Senator representing Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi but the meetings have not achieved much success.
According to some sources in the APC, the national leadership is shopping for a reliable candidate with the political strength and strong enough to remove Governor Nyesom Wike from power.
The sources added that settling the rift between Amaechi and Senator Abe is the only viable option left on the table to ensure that the party’s candidate beat Wike in 2019 but it has been difficult due to perceived betrayal within the ranks of the Rivers APC.
One of the sources knowledgeable in the matter told theportcitynews that Amaechi’s camp was eagerly waiting for the senator to defect to the PDP to solidify their hold on the party given his close relationship with the Senate president, Bukola Saraki and member representing Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Barry Mpigi, who have since defected to the PDP.
The source noted that the senator remained in the APC because he has nothing to go back to in PDP as political gladiators in his zone have taken over the struggle for the senatorial position and it seems probable that he will not submit to the will of Governor Wike, that is why he chose to remain in the APC and fight to the finish.
Another source in the APC told theportcitynews that the changing political climate will likely favour Senator Abe as the national chairman of the party has insisted on adopting the direct voting method for the primaries which was effectively used in Osun to reduce the issue of candidates buying delegates on the eve of primaries.
He said that the direct voting method will ruffle some feathers in the Rivers APC especially as the minister’s faction is full of money bags who would spend billions on delegates.
Another source told theportcitynews that the minister has begun withdrawing from the state’s political gatherings. This, he noted, id due to the national leadership’s insistence that the party presents Abe as the gubernatorial candidate while the minister helps shop for his deputy; a position he said will likely leave many in the minister’s camp disenfranchised due to accusations that the senator helped to derail the election of the then APC gubernatorial candidate, Dakuku Peterside.
The source said that it is very much unlikely that the minister will buy into Abe’s candidacy as the minister has maintained that it is the turn of the riverine to produce the next governor.
He noted that the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole favours the candidacy of Senator Abe which has widened the rift in the party and had it been that the Senate President remained in the APC, Abe would have been sure of emerging as the party’s candidate a long time ago.
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