The crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a new twist following moves by a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, calling on the party’s national leadership to sideline a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and his loyalists.
It has been reported that Wike’s faction, led by Tony Okocha, had made the call when he led some party members on a visit to the APC national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Thursday.
Okocha accused Amaechi of striking a deal with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 poll, Atiku Abubakar, before the election and directed APC members during a meeting to campaign and vote for the former vice president.
He also appealed to the Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC) that whatever appointment or benefit the party wishes to allot to Rivers APC should pass through Wike, a former governor of Rivers State who is a member of the PDP.
But reacting, Amaechi, who spoke through his media aide, Chukwuemeka Eze, described Okocha’s claim as a lie from the pit of hell.
He told Daily Trust that Wike, Okocha, or any other individual can not chase Amaechi out of the ruling APC.
Eze said: “That statement is not only a lie from the pit of hell but one of those ploys to continue to witch hunt and present Amaechi in bad light before the APC leadership in order for him and his associates to continue to eat the crumbs from the table of Tinubu.
During the 2023 general elections, Tony Okocha had ceased to be a member of APC as he, Magnus Abe, and others had refused to revalidate their APC membership cards. So if that is the case, Amaechi couldn’t have directed a non-member of APC to vote against the party.
I will counsel Nigerians, particularly you Journalists, to disregard any statement about Rivers State APC from Tony Okocha and his likes. Amaechi is not only a respected member of APC but a great leader of the party in the South-South region until such a time it becomes imperative for him to change party.
And let me reiterate that Wike, Okocha, or any member of their misguided cohorts can not and will not be in a position to remove Amaechi from APC both as the leader of the party in the region and key member of APC no matter all their evil plots.”
