Tony John, Port Harcourt
Two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State, supporting the governorship ambition of Sen. Magnus Abe, have insisted that crisis has rocked the party in the state.
Among the stakeholders, who stated this were the former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice during Chibuike Amaechi’s administration, Worgu Boms and a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Golden Chioma.
Their reaction was on the heels of a report rerportedly credited to the lawmaker representing Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen. Andrew Uchendu, who debunked alleged crisis in the APC.
Briefing journalists yesterday, in Port Harcourt, on the development, the APC stalwarts stated that they had various evidences to buttress their position, saying that Uchendu was economical with use of words.
According to them, the supporters of Abe’s governorship ambition have been humiliated and labelled as “betrayers,” by the Minister of Transportation and former State Governor, Amaechi’s camp.
The Abe’s camp insisted that there was is crack in the APC, which was why the State leadership removed the caucus members and never invite them to events attended by Amaechi’s camp.
Boms explained that it was wrong for Uchendu to claim that there was no crisis in Rivers APC because there is no challenge to the positions of the state chairman and secretary of the party.
He said, “In Rivers APC today, if you are supporting Magnus Abe, they (Amaechi’s camp) will not invite you to any party event. If Magnus Abe is holding an event, you will not see any of them there. Is that not crisis?
“You don’t begin to call some persons betrayers because they don’t support you. I, as a member of APC, will not subscribe to a situation where one man will handpick a candidate as the party’s flagbearer. There is animosity in the party and Senator Magnus Abe has called for peace”, Boms stated.
Similarly, Chioma added that the State party executives had been rendered redundant by the actions and inactions of some powerful members of the party.
The former lawmaker disclosed that the party at the state level was not being financed, adding that salaries and welfares of the officials are not considered.
He said, “The party leadership in the state has been sidelined. Party executive functions are being arrogated to non-party officials. All these are crises and we are putting those problems on the seat of the minister.
“When you attend a state APC event and you are being worked out because you are supporting Senator Magnus Abe, is that not crisis,” he asked rhetorically.
Meanwhile, the State Deputy Chairman of the APC, Prince Peter Odike, has commended the call by Senator Abe and other chieftains for reconciliation of aggrieved members.
Odike urged members of the party, including the elders to eschew bitterness and rancour, so that the could form a formidable force to wrestle power from the ruling party.
