Rivers APC crisis deepens, as Amaechi camp suspends Abe’s

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State under the leadership of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has suspended the chairman of the faction loyal to a former representative of Rivers South-East at the Senate, Senator Magnus Abe, and former House of Representatives member, Igo Aguma.

Also suspended by the Amaechi camp were Wogu Boms and the Assistant to Aguma on Media, Livingstone Wechie, for anti-party activities.

The party also disclosed that it has recommended all aforementioned persons for immediate expulsion from the party based on their actions and inactions in the party.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Isaac Abbot-Ogbobula, said the party has expelled all the members of the party who took APC to court without first using the party’s internal mechanisms.

The party’s caretaker committee chairman disclosed that the leaders met Saturday morning to discuss certain pressing issues and to clean the party of people causing infractions.

Abbot-Ogbobula said: ‘We met and looked at the state of the party in the state, x-rayed and reviewed some issues towards moving the party forward and cleaning up of the party and to take disciplinary measures against members of the party, who caused infractions on the party.

‘We received communication from some local government areas which came to them from the ward level. One of the reports came from Ward 16 in Gokana Local Government Area through the local government leadership of the party.

‘We also got communications from ward 2, 10 and 19 of PhALGA. All the communications we received from the said wards came through the local government caretaker committees of our party.’

He noted that the caretaker committee of the party in Ward 16 Gokana Local Government Area of the state suspended Abe after their meeting on Saturday, adding that the suspension was ratified by the local government leadership of the party.

Abbot-Ogbobula also disclosed that Aguma and the others were suspended by the wards in Port Harcourt City LGA (PHALGA), adding that the party at the state level has also recommended the expulsion of Abe and others from the party.

He said: ‘From Ward 16, Gokana, it was resolved by members of the party in that ward that Sen. Magnus Abe having conducted himself in a manner that runs contrary to the party’s constitution, having severally engaged in anti-party activities against smooth running of the party, that he is suspended. It was ratified by the local government excos and we hereby confirm his suspension and further recommend his expulsion from the party.

“From Ward 2 of PHALGA, wherein it was resolved that Hon. Igo Aguma is suspended. We have looked at the resolution reached at the ward suspending Aguma as submitted to the state by the local government caretaker committee.

‘We have looked at the issues of the purported inaugurating of local government caretaker committee, knowing that the national executive committee of the party has dissolved all structures of the party and inaugurated a caretaker committee. Igo has continually paraded himself as the authentic chairman of the party, acting against the party’s constitution.

‘We have confirmed his suspension from his ward and local government and recommend his expulsion from the party

‘We have also received from Ward 10, PHALGA, on the suspension of Livingstone Wechie. We received from Ward 19 of PHALGA of the suspension of Wogu Boms. Both of them (Wechie and Boms) were suspended by their wards, ratified by the local government and forwarded to us. We have confirmed the same and further recommended their expulsion for anti-party activities,’ he stated.

Abbot-Ogbobula also announced the expulsion of all the members of the party who were inaugurated on last Friday as Caretaker Committees of the party at the state, LGA and ward levels by Aguma.

He said: ‘In the same emergence meeting, held today, we resolved that all those who were purportedly inaugurated by Igo Aguma as caretaker committees stand expelled from the party.

‘We further deliberated on the issue of all the people who took the party to court without exhausting the internal mechanism of the party, especially, after the decision of the party that no one should go to court without exhausting the party’s internal mechanism.

‘We have listed all those who infracted the party and went to court. We resolved that all of them are from today stand expelled from the party,’ he said.

He noted that the leadership of the party in the state had invited all the affected persons, but regretted that they refused to honour the invitation.

He said: ‘We have invited them; but, they refused to answer to our invitation; that is in the case of Sen. Magus Abe, Hon. Igo Aguma, Wogu Boms and Livingstone Wechie. The persons who went to court their case is already known.

‘Those, who were inaugurated by Aguma were disciplined for making themselves available to be used even when they know that the party at the national has inaugurated the leadership of the party in the state, yet, they went ahead to accept to be inaugurated,’ he further explained.

The factional Chairman of the APC, Hon Igo Aguma, has stated that Isaac Abbot-Ogbobula and other caretaker committee members loyal to Amaechi do not exist in the party.

Aguma, in a statement signed by his Assistant on Media, Livingstone Wechie, said:

‘The attention of the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State has been drawn to comments credited to the cheerleader and chairman of an aggrieved group within the APC, Mr Isaac Ogbobula loyal to the Transportation Minister His Excellency Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi wherein he made very disrespectful and insubordinating remarks against his State Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC Rivers state Rt Hon Igo Aguma and other critical stakeholders in the Party including Distinguished Senator Magnus Abe.

‘It is no longer news that the said Isaac Ogbobula is an unrepentant impostor in the party and his action is an act of desperation and self-help; therefore, he and his group does not exist in Rivers State.

‘The public is aware that Ogbobula and his Co-travelers are litigating up to the Supreme Court struggling to upturn the Court judgement that both dissolved his illegal Caretaker Committee and declaratorily affirmed Rt Hon Igo Aguma as Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers State which Executive is comprised by all statutory members of the party and he is not qualified to be one.

‘Same judgement was reinforced in another judgement of Court which dissolved and sacked the Sokonte Davies-led illegal state structure and that judgment of was not Appealed.

‘The actions today of Ogbobula are just a show of extreme desperation particularly being a supposed legal practitioner who is in Court. It further indicates that he has no regard for judicial processes and can not wait for the Court which he approached to determine his fate. It is important to state that there is no order of Court anywhere restraining Rt Hon Igo Aguma from functioning as the Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party,’ Aguma stated.