The embattled leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has rejected the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who months ago openly announced their defection to the party.
The 27 lawmakers, led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, were elected to the House on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before openly announcing their defection to APC owing to a cold war between state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his erstwhile political godfather, Nyesom Wike.
Chairman of the caretaker committee of the party in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, who disclosed this on Monday, declared that the pro-Wike lawmakers were not members of the APC.
Okocha spoke while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He said: “At some point I don’t get it; the House of Assembly members have said over and over again that they are not members of the All Progressives Congress and I confirm to you that they are not.
“What we are doing with them is to woo them to come and join us because we discovered that they were having their own internal crisis in their party.
“I am speaking to you in all authority that they never defected to the All Progressives Congress. There is no record. At least, I am in charge; it would have been joy for me that they came over. They didn’t.”
He stated that with the outcome of the just-concluded governorship election in Edo State, the party was poised towards taking over Rivers and Delta States in 2027, adding that at the fullness of time, APC will control all the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone.
Okocha added: “I will begin by thanking God Almighty who made it possible for all our endeavours in Edo State to come to pass. We are grateful to Mr. President and every other person who made sure that our party won the Edo governorship election.
“We are sure we are going to replicate what happened in Edo I’m Rivers and Delta States in 2027. At the fullness of time, the South-South Zone will have governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The APC caretaker committee chairman described the scheduled October 5, 2024 local government election in the state as an attempt to disrespect and disregard the Courts and laws of the land, pointing out that the party was in court to stop the election.
Okocha, who is also the Rivers State representative in the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said the atmosphere in the state does not suggest that the local government election will hold as scheduled.
He said: “The proposed local government election is another attempt to disrespect, disregard the Courts and laws of the land. The matter is before the Court and we are in Court.
“The environment in the state does not show that there will be any local government election in the state in the next one week. The governor should stop deceiving the people of the state.
“He knows that it is impossible for the local government election to hold when the matter surrounding the conduct of the election is before the Court and the Court’s ruling on the matter has not been vacated.”
