Despite the denial by the chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Davis Ikanya, that there is no crisis in
the state chapter of the party, followers of political events know
that all is not well within the party.
Ikanya had, in a press statement issued in Port Harcourt,
said there was no crisis in the party. He, however, attributed the widely
reported cold war between the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi and
the senator representing Rivers East, Magnus Abe, to the party’s governorship
ticket for the 2019 general elections.
Amaechi and Abe had been best of friends and had shared the
same political philosophy until the recent political disagreement. Abe was a
strong supporter of Amaechi, standing behind him throughout the political ordeal
that eventually led to his emergence as the governor of Rivers State. In
appreciation, Amaechi appointed him as Secretary to the State Government and
later influenced his election into the Senate.
The minister of transportation stirred the hornet’s net when
he told supporters in one of their caucus meetings that he was shopping for a
marketable candidate that would fly the party’s ticket in 2019.
In the 2015 governorship election, Amaechi nominated Dr Adol
Peterside for the ticket ahead of Abe, who was the party’s widely preferred
candidate. The choice of Peterside nearly destroyed the party structure but for
the spirit of sportsmanship and maturity displayed by Senator Abe. To secure
the party’s governorship ticket, Peterside was said to have paid several visits
to Abe, appealing to him to support his candidature. Abe finally settled down
for the senatorial position.
Peterside, who hails from a minority riverine community of
Opopo, lost the election to Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and was compensated with the position of director-general of the Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Amaechi allegedly touched frayed nerves in the party when he
told supporters that he was considering an oil magnet, Tonye Cole, for the
party’s gubernatorial ticket in 2019. While party supporters were agitated by
Amaechi’s comment, another Kalabari politician and the son of a billionaire
industrialist, Dumo Briggs, a lawyer, started ringing bell as Amaechi’s
anointed candidate.
Analysts believe that Amaechi’s alleged choice of Briggs is
to woo the support of the entire riverine communities in the state for the APC.
Riverine communities control about seven local government areas of the state.
There has been an unwritten agreement between the upland and riverine areas for
the rotation of the governorship position of the state. When Amaechi completed
his tenure in 2015, the riverine part of the state had expected to produce the
next governor, but Wike, who is from the same upland Ikwerre part of the state
with Amaechi changed the political narrative and became governor.
People from the riverine part of the state, especially the
Kalabari, were angry about the development, but they could not do anything to
reverse it. That is why Amaechi is rooting for Briggs. To actualise this plan,
Dumo Lulu Briggs defected to the APC from PDP last month.
An unconfirmed report also has it that the former governor
told another Kalabari politician, Tonye Princewill, who defected to the APC from
his Labour Party a couple of weeks ago, to get set to fly the party’s
governorship ticket in 2019.
The unfolding political events have agitated the minds of
various interest groups in the party, especially the supporters of Magnus Abe,
who believe that the senator is the only candidate who can give Wike a run for
his money come 2019.
According to sources close to the APC, the minister’s visit
to Port Harcourt last week was to restructure his political camp ahead of 2019.
But what looked like restructuring took a different
dimension when the minister, at a stakeholders’ meeting he convened at the
residence of a top chieftain of the party and former chairman of the state
Local Government Service Commission, Nnamdi Wokekoro, sacked four
chieftains of the party he felt were supporting Senator Abe for the 2019
governorship race.
A source who was at the meeting revealed that Amaechi
told some stakeholders that not even pressure from the powers-that-be would
make him to endorse Abe for the election on the platform of the APC.
In another meeting held at the residence of a chieftain of
the APC in Etche Local Government Area, Amaechi was said to have further
reiterated his stance on who would fly the party’s governorship flag in 2019.
He reportedly warned that he would suspend any party leader
found supporting Senator Abe’s candidature. A source at the meeting, who did
not want to be mentioned, quoted Amaechi as saying, “I remain the leader of the
APC in Rivers State.
Even if the 23 local government chairmen of the party
support him, that will not change anything.’’ He accused Abe of fraternising
with his political enemies at the Senate.
Some of Abe’s supporters who were suspended by Amaechi are
Worgu Boms, former attorney-general and commissioner for justice. Boms, who was
the leader of the APC caucus in Port Harcourt Local Government Area, was
replaced with Hon. Wokekoro.
Chief Tony Okocha, Amaechi’s former chief of staff, was
removed as the party’s caucus leader in Obio Akpor Local Government Area while
Chief Allwell Onyesoh was removed as the leader of the APC caucus in Etche
Local Government Area. Onyesoh was replaced by Amaechi’s close associate and
former member of the House of Representatives, Ogbonna Nwuke.
Another close associate of Abe, Chidi Wihioka, a member of
the House of Representatives, representing Ikwerre/Emohua constituency, was
also removed as the leader of the APC caucus in Emohua. He was replaced by
Chibuike Ikenga, who is the minister’s close confidant. Efforts to speak
with Senator Abe were not successful as all his phone lines were switched off
when our reporter called.
To further show that the two political gladiators’
relationship may be heading for the rocks, Senator Abe was absent in all the
activities to mark Amaechi’s 52nd birthday last Saturday in Port Harcourt
despite the fact that he was there throughout last week. He was also not
at Gokana, his local government area, where the minister had gone to receive
PDP members who defected to APC.
The cold war between Abe and Amaechi has polarised their
various political camps. Some of Abe’s supporters had taken to the social
media, stating their resolve to support the senator’s 2019 governorship
ambition.
Chief Tony Okocha , a strong supporter of Abe who was
removed as APC caucus leader in Obio Akpor said he had no regret supporting Abe
for the governorship ticket. “They removed me for supporting Senator
Magnus Abe. This has confirmed that the APC belongs to one man. But there’s
nothing to worry about because he (Amaechi) also appointed me.
The one who appoints has powers to remove. He also removed
his former attorney-general and commissioner for justice. I support Abe because
I believe he has what it takes to win elections. I was not given the opportunity
to defend myself. I was in Abuja when they removed me,’’ he said.
But a statement by the state chairman of the APC, Dr Davis
Ikanya said, “Our attention has been drawn to all the hullabaloo and fake news
and mostly misleading reports in the media, especially the social media, about
a non-existent crisis due to some purported changes in the leadership of APC in
Rivers State.
“We wish to state categorically that all the members of the
APC in Rivers State are intact. From our ward officers to the state executive,
no one has been removed or suspended from office. However, we are aware that
our leader in the state, Chibuike Amaechi is making some changes in his
personal political team.
He created the team and appointed its members and leaders,
so he can make changes there. It is his right and prerogative to make
leadership changes in his own political team.
“But we must emphasise that these changes by the minister
within his personal and political team has absolutely nothing to do with the
party leadership structure in all levels of the state. Contrary to
speculations, no member of the party in the state is being prevented from
seeking any elective office.’’
But a chieftain of the party who pleaded anonymity is
worried that the present crisis may be a setback. “One cannot deny
the fact that all is not well with our party. There is disenchantment here and
there. The chieftains of the party are not happy about the way it is being
run.
There is witch-hunt everywhere. The minister of
transportation is having problems with notable members of our party,’’ he said.
He said there was the need to set up a reconciliatory committee
that would bring aggrieved members of the party together, warning that failure
to do so would cause great harm in the state.
By Victor Edozie
