Indication emerged on Monday which showed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State is yet to resolve their differences as a faction of the party is unlikely to participate in the upcoming congresses scheduled for 17th, 21st and 28th of September.
The party’s National Working Committee had on Friday, the 6th of September, set up a 5-member Caretaker Committee to oversee the affairs of the Rivers State chapter of the party.
Lanre Issa-Onilu, the national publicity secretary of the party in a statement in Abuja said the 5-man committee would oversee the affairs of the party in the state pending the successful conduct of the ward, local government and state Congresses.
The 5-man committee would be headed by Isaac Abbot Ogbobula as chairman while Baridon Badom would serve as the Committee’s Secretary.
Other committee members include Friday Kinika Owhor, Beatrice Amobi, and Prince Abolo Stephen.
But the party in Rivers State had been hit by factional disagreements, snowballing into the party being disqualified from the 2019 general elections.
The struggle for the soul of the party between the minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the former Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, re-emerged two weeks ago when Amaechi, during his inauguration as a minister, asked his supporters to prepare for Congress.
Abe had lashed out at the minister for pre-empting the National Working Committee of the party, adding that only the NWC has the right to declare dates for the Congresses.
But sources in Abe’s camp said they are unlikely to participate as issues which disqualified the party from the 2019 general elections were yet to be resolved.
“I don’t think it is proper for us to participate. Those issues which led to the party being disqualified during the last election have not been resolved.
“When you want to go to the University, you write JAMB, but before you sit for JAMB, you must have passed WAEC or NECO. The APC has not passed WAEC and they want to write JAMB?
“It will be another lengthy legal battle because those who bought forms during the last congresses have not been told what happened and they are expected to buy another form? he said.
It was also hinted that the camp loyal to the minister of transportation is geared towards changing its wards and local government leadership for effectiveness.
