By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The open declaration of support for the presidential ambition of All Progressives Congress leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by members of the Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe faction of the Rivers APC has sparked another verbal clash between them and loyalists of the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi faction of the party.
The leaders of the Abe faction had, on Sunday, inaugurated an NGO, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Support (BATS) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
During the programme, the likes of Sen. Wilson Ake, who is the chairman of the steering committee of BATS; Tony Okocha, coordinator of the group and former Chief of Staff under the Amaechi administration, and Chidi Wihioka, a former member of the House of Representatives, spoke glowingly of Tinubu and declared that he was the right candidate for president in 2023.
Tony Okocha, the coordinator of BATS, Rivers State Chapter, said the group would mobilise 50,000 supporters for Tinubu in the State ahead of the 2023 general election.
He said that Tinubu has the capacity and grace to rule Nigeria.
“We know he has the Midas touch. We know he is competent, experienced and we know he is detribalised. So, if we have a nationalist like that, why won’t we support him?”
Ake said they were supporting Tinubu for president because he was qualified.
“We are supporting Tinubu because we know that he is eminently qualified and he has worked so hard to see APC win.
“We do not have that wicked spirit in us. That is why we are saying that we must pay back Tinubu for what he has put into APC. We are not against anybody. Anybody who wants to try should go ahead but they should not use the question that they must eliminate Tinubu to succeed,” he said.
Reacting to the development on Monday, a section of the Amaechi-led faction of the party condemned the Abe faction’s declaration of support for Tinubu in the name of the Rivers APC.
They claimed that Abe and his loyalists were not members of the Rivers APC, restating their loyalty to the leadership of the minister of transport, Chibuike Amaechi, whom they described as their capacity leader.
TPCN gathered that the leadership of a pro-Amaechi group known as Amaechi Vanguard had, at the weekend, mocked some leaders of the Magnus Abe faction of the APC whose picture they posted on the Facebook page of their Rivers State leader, Innocent Amadi, with the caption: “Call for any meeting again in the name of APC and you guys will be arrested and face the law. Ndi BAt Ntoooor.”
TPCN’s checks revealed that those in the picture include: Hon. Golden Chioma, Barr Wogu Boms and Chief Tony Okocha.
The post further elicited abusive comments from members of the Amaechi Vanguard who seemed to like it as one Felix Thank you commented: “They are political destitutes”.
Another, Rickflair Dumi commented: “Their bus spoiled on the way to Abuja last night,” while Bristol Sirimingi commented: “Ungrateful set of people.”
One Damiete Jenewari wrote: “They should leave our party.”
Although members of the Sen. Magnus Abe faction of the Rivers APC have not officially responded to the reactions their pro-Tinubu support attracted from members of the Amaechi faction at the time of doing this report, there are speculations that these initial taunts might spiral into a full-blown verbal war between the two factions as the 2023 general elections draw near.
