All Progressives Congress, APC Rivers State chapter held its state congress on April 26 at the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic centre, Port Harcourt, amidst apathy, poor attendance, lack of commitment and interest. The occasion which was scheduled to start at 10.00 am did not take off till at about 2.00pm, when it became certain to the organizers that the state Governor Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi would not come.
He was represented by his obedient and amiable deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru. Notable politicians at the event, who left in a jiffy were Senator Wilson A. Ake and Magnum Ngei Abe. All the members of the State House of Assembly were conspicuously absent at the congress, as only the local government area chairmen who were mandated to lead their LGAs turned up.
The event did not present the picture of contest as no position was vied for between anybody and the other. The list of officers and positions written against each was adopted and shared quite in advance to party leaders at LGA and ward levels. Other leaders and journalists struggled hard to get their own copies.
The organizers for avoidance of petitions likely to arise from non-voting, and the desire to satisfy the condition of Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, insisted on voting. The ballot boxes with various positions, each box one position, one candidate, were arranged, and all the representatives according to LGAs, lined up and cast their votes accordingly.
Of all the positions, none was contested with any, as all passed as consensus candidates. What attracted attention was the way the LGA leaders and agents shared money to the party men and women in the hall. While some LGAs received N10, 000, others got N20, 000. Protests were obvious, and some threatened to report to the governor.
However at the end of the event which lasted till 6.30 pm, the candidates emerged as drawn in the list, thus the state chairman, Chief Dr. Davis Ibiamu Ikanya (JP) South East Senatorial Zone; Deputy State chairman, Prince Peter Odike, Rivers West Senatorial Zone; Chief Emeka Beke, Rivers East Senatorial Zone; Zonal Vice Chairman 1. Gilbert A. Fiberesima Rivers East; Zonal Vice Chairman ii. Ngorji Warmate Rivers West Senatorial Zone and Zonal Vice Chairman iii. James Kobah Rivers South West. Such was the arrangement, just as contained in the list, and there was no clear protest from any quarters. The 35 man team of state executives thus emerged at the end of exercise, without demonstration.
The calmness and so-called peace that prevailed at the state congress of the APC, on the face value, painted the scenario of proper public administration and determination to rival the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP. However there were more to it than what the ordinary eyes could see.
The non attendance by the state governor and the godfather of political rebellion in the state revealed a lot. It merely confirmed the news from grape vine, that he has met a brick wall on the way to actualizing his ambition. Having been so much extorted and cannot be offered presidential or Vice Presidential ticket, he has lost interest in APC, and is begging to go back to his former party PDP.
The alleged expression of interest by former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Presidential and Vice Presidential candidature, has done terrible blow to his political fate. Both leaders are the founding pillars of the party, besides he lacks the clout to displace them. Also, the party aware of his antecedents does not bring him into serious and secret meetings.
The absence of members of the House was a proof of ruptured relationship between the governor and the legislature. The Honourables seem hail bent on their own political survival, knowing that the embattled governor is nearing the end of tenure and career and therefore need to chart out their own course.
Answering questions from journalists, the publicity secretary of PDP Samuel Nwanosike explained, “whichever way you look at it, Rivers State is a PDP State, and we cannot lose it to opposition party.” Mr. Nwanosike observed that even those working with the governor, are with him to earn a living, affirming that “they are APC on the skin, but PDP in spirit and that is why the governor is jittery”.
He vowed that before the end of the year, all his so called supporters would have deserted him. “He lacks all forms of leadership qualities, he is not a sellable candidate either and also too bossy for leadership,” he regretted.
Members of legacy parties comprising those of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, All Nigeria People’s Party ANPP, and Congress for Progressive Change CPC protested that following their deliberate exclusion and gross marginalization by the state governor and his supporters, who were former members of PDP, during the various congresses, they had no option than to watch out.
A strong leader of the legacy parties who showed Nigerian Pilot a copy of the protest letter to the governor after the Ward and LGA congresses, revealed the resolve of the group to dump APC for another party, which will accommodate and protect their interests. He boasted that they are more in number than the APC members in Rivers.
Consequently, APC currently operates two parallel offices; one along Forces Avenue old GRA Port Harcourt and the other at 41 Railway close D-Line Port Harcourt, from where the legacy parties members, conduct the affairs of APC in the state. They disclosed that the state congress of APC in the state was characterized with gross marginalization, deprivation, discrimination and other forms of injustice against members of legacy parties’ candidates. “It was in the light of the outright marginalization and neglect of our members, that we directed our members to boycott, and reject the outcome of the APC state congress of April 26, 2014”, the source stated.
It will be recalled that the governor promised the legacy parties members of 5000 job chances in the Federal Government Sure – P Empowerment Scheme and 30 percent of all elective positions, none of which was fulfilled.
With these problems at hand it has almost become obvious, APC is enmeshed in crises, it cannot come out of till 2015 elections. The unfortunate and worse complex part of the stalemated situation is that, rather them tackle the issues on ground, the governor takes to travelling from one state to the other and organizing shows that are of no benefit to the state, was the view of one of his close aids.
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