The storms, once again, are gathering in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the faction loyal the immediate past senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, has said they would not participate in the congresses scheduled for 17th, 21st and 28th September 2019.
The National Working Committee of the party had on Friday, September 5th inaugurated a 5-member caretaker committee to oversee the congresses of the party in the state.
But the faction loyal to Abe after a meeting on Wednesday said the issues which led to the disqualification of the party from the 2019 general elections had not been addressed.
In communique signed by Abe for Rivers South-East; Chidi Wihioka for Rivers East and Wilson Ake for Rivers West, the faction said they would not be participating in the congresses as the members of the caretaker committee did not reflect the diversity inherent in the party.
A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF AN EXTRAORDINARY APC STAKEHOLDERS MEETING HELD ON THE 11TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2019, AT PORT HARCOURT.
After a strenuous, no holds barred deliberations and situational review of issues affecting the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), we arrived at the following decisions:
- That as critical stakeholders of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who toiled and sweated under very difficult and dangerous circumstances to build the party in Rivers State, we are appalled and dismayed by the current situation of the party in the State.
- That Nigerians are aware that the crisis in Rivers APC was set off by the manner in which last congresses were deliberately mismanaged in 2018, resulting in catastrophic and unprecedented consequences for the party.
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That various efforts by different leaders of the party across the nation to find a solution to the challenges of Rivers APC before the 2019 elections were all rebuffed by the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, meaning that all well intended efforts came to nothing.
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We note with concern that the party is yet again threading the same route of exclusion and disdain for the rights and feelings of party members that plunged the Rivers chapter of the APC into needless crisis resulting in the party being denied participation in the last general elections in Rivers State.
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That as critical stakeholders, and bearing in mind the circumstances of Rivers APC, we were not consulted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in its decision to appoint a caretaker committee in Rivers State nor does the Committee reflect the diversity of the party in the state. The so called caretaker committee members are simply cronies of the Minister of Transportation, their objective and purpose is clear, they were parties and participants in the actions that brought the party to its knees in Rivers State. Apart from being unknown to the constitution, by all rules of justice and fairness they cannot provide a solution to our present challenges.
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We therefore reject the caretaker committee as it is clearly an orchestration to deepen the woes of the party, and we urge all members of the APC in Rivers State to remain steadfast in the pursuit of justice.
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Based on extant judicial pronouncements, and the report of the Governor Lalong Committee as adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party which stated clearly that where congress could not hold, the existing executives were to manage the affairs of the party; Chief Peter Odike by the rules of the Party should have been consulted as Chairman of the APC in Rivers State.
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Therefore we will not take part in the congresses announced by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, and sanctioned by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for the reasons that we were not consulted and all the issues raised by the various judicial pronouncements, and the internal contradictions within the party in Rivers State, have neither been addressed nor resolved. There appears to be no political will to tackle these issues in order to rebuild the party in Rivers State.
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Let us urge all members of our great party to remain committed and steadfast and to keep faith with the all Progressives Congress (APC). Hopefully, the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Election Tribunal should rekindle our confidence that justice will be done, and our party in Rivers State will be rebuilt. Let us stay the course, after this darkness will surely come a glorious dawn.
Signed:
Rivers South-East:
SENATOR MAGNUS ABE
Rivers East:
HON. CHIDI FRANK WIHIOKA
Former member,
House of Reps.
Rivers West:
SENATOR WILSON AKE
