Leadership crisis has hit the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State as five members of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party yesterday announced the suspension of the chairman, Church Emeka Beke.
The SEC members, including the party’s auditor, Chidi Nweke; Chike Enyinda special leader; Rivers East senatorial district vice chairman, financial secretary, Obidimma Igwe; Chigbo John and deputy youth leader, Jumi Godwin, also announced the suspension of the state legal adviser, Iheanyichukwu Azubuike, from the party.
Announcing the suspension of the duo in Port Harcourt, the party’s special leader, Chike Enyinda, said Beke and Azubuike were suspended from the party for anti-party activities and financial mismanagement.
Meanwhile, SEC members of the APC in the state met on Tuesday evening at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt and passed a vote of confidence on the party’s state chairman, Chief Emeka Beke.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the SEC members called on Beke to continue to lead and champion the demand of members of the APC across the 319 wards in the state for the recovery of the party’s stolen mandate during the just concluded election.
The communique, which was signed by the party’s publicity secretary in the state, Darlington Nwauju, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do the right thing and act in accordance with the Electoral Act.
The communique reads in part: “The State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has at it’s emergency meeting today (4th April 2023 at 6.00hrs), passed a vote of confidence on the state chairman of the party, High Chief Emeka Beke, and urged him to sustain, lead and champion the popular demand of our party membership across the 319 wards in Rivers State, that the party’s stolen mandate at the 25th February and 18th March 2023 general elections, be recovered through constitutional means at the election petitions tribunal.
“The State Working Committee also condemned the attack on our Governorship candidate, Pastor (Arch) Tonye Cole on Monday 3rd April 2023 at GRA junction by thugs sponsored by the opposition PDP.
“The SWC also unanimously reiterated the party’s stand that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in-charge of INEC in Rivers State, discharges his constitutionally assigned functions under Section 74 of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) by releasing all documents in the EC8 series relevant for the filing of our petitions at the EPT.”
