The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, said time was ripe for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike to join the ruling party.
Okocha, who stated this while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said apart from Wike, the party was also wooing other prominent politicians in the state, including members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to join its fold.
He stated that the APC, which won 20, out of the 23 local government area in the just concluded local government elections, did not field chairmanship candidates in three LGA, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Port Harcourt City because the party is not popular in those areas.
“We didn’t field candidates for Port Harcourt City, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Obio/Akpor LGAs because we know we won’t win in those areas.”
Okocha insisted that former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who contested the LGA elections on the APC platform formally defected from their former party.
“Those former PDP members who contested as candidates of the APC actually defected to the APC. We decided not to make it public,” he said.
The APC chairman, who expressed gratitude to the critical stakeholders of the party for their efforts in ensuring that the party emerged victorious in the elections, thanked people of the state for turning out in their numbers to vote for candidates of the party.
Okocha also commended President Bola Tinubu, alongside the National Working Committee of the APC, for repositioning and reviving the Rivers State APC, a development that he noted culminated in the historic, jinx-breaking victory recorded last Saturday.
He expressed optimism that Rivers APC would triple its support base by 2027 to deliver a resounding victory for the re-election of Tinubu.
