……Party to inaugurate a caretaker committee
Okenyi Kenechi
Few weeks before the country plunges into full-blown campaign season in preparation for the 2019 general elections, the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, is mercilessly dissevered and on the path of not presenting candidates for the 2019 general elections.
Members of the state chapter of the party, including the immediate past governor and current minister of transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi; and the Senator representing Rivers South-East in the national assembly, Magnus Abe, have been at daggers drawn over the choice of candidate to confront the incumbent governor, Barr Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the Brick House come 2019.
Amaechi favours Tonye Cole, an oil tycoon and former MD of Sahara Energy while Abe has put his feet forward for the position citing marginalization of his Ogoni ethnic nationality.
Sources loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, on Monday, told theportcitynews that the senator is least bothered by the decision of the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to publish the name of Tonye Cole as the authentic gubernatorial candidate of Rivers APC.
INEC, on Friday, published names of gubernatorial and national assembly candidates for the 2019 general elections. The name of Senator Abe and his loyalist were apparently missing.
The electoral umpire said in a press release that it decided to go ahead with its timeline of publishing names from Rivers State because the list was sent to it before the Supreme Court judgement of 22nd October which seconded the interlocutory order earlier issued by Justice Chinwedu Worgu of the Rivers State High Court on 11th May stopping the party from conducting congresses in the state. The commission also said that it is yet to be served the ruling of the Apex Court.
But sources who spoke to Theportcitynews said that Abe’s faction is standing by what the law said which is that the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree’s leadership of the party is illegal and any primaries conducted by it with its outcome stands on illegality.
According to one of the sources, “ You heard from the national chairman, Adams Oshiomole, saying that the party will conduct fresh congresses in Rivers State.
“ That is our position. INEC is only acting based on the list sent to it and when fresh congresses are conducted, and a new gubernatorial candidate emerges, INEC will not have any choice but to change the name of the new candidate.
The sources also denied claims that Senator Abe has been offered the Rivers South-East senatorial ticket as last resort to a peaceful resolution of the lingering crisis, saying that the senator did not buy form for the senatorial position, and so, cannot be given ticket for a position he did not go for as that will be another matter for a lengthy litigation when the time comes.
Theportcitynews gathered that stakeholders, including some governors and president Buhari, are trying to placate the senator and make him support the candidacy of Cole but sources say the national leadership of the party will soon inaugurate a caretaker committee to oversee affairs of the party in the state pending when fresh congresses are conducted, though Theportcitynews learnt that plans are underway to hand the party back to Flag-Amachree as new caretaker committee chairman.
