Past reports of mutterings in the
upper echelons of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress,
APC last weekend overflowed with state party leader, Chibuke Amaechi on the
spot over alleged moves to derail the purported governorship plans of his
loyalist, Magnus Abe.
WILL the Minister of Transportation
and leader of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike
Amaechi destroy his party or build it to victory in 2019?
Rotimi Amaechi and Magnus Abe
This has been the question on many
lips since weekend when he removed some of his key associates from their
positions as leaders of his caucus of the party in some local government areas.
Those affected were his former Chief of Staff, Chief Tony Okocha, who was
removed as leader of the caucus in Obio Akpor local government area; his former
Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Worgu Boms, Chief Allwell
Nyesoh, and the member representing Ikwerre/Emohua constituency in the House of
Representatives, Hon Chidi Wihioka.
Vanguard gathered that the sack was
effected at meetings of the group last weekend. According to recordings of
conversations at the meetings made available to newsmen by some of those at the
meeting, Amaechi took the decision because of allegations that those affected
were already routing for Senator Magnus Abe as the governorship candidate of
the party by 2019.
Amaechi and Abe had come a long way
since the Peter Odili hegemony over the state. At that time while Amaechi
served as Odili’s man in the House of Assembly, Abe subsequently rose to become
Odili’s commissioner for information. Abe eventually sided with Amaechi in the
heated contest to succeed Odili and was with Amaechi in the trenches. When
Amaechi eventually succeeded, Abe was appointed as Secretary to the Government
and in the second term of Amaechi was pushed forward to the Senate with the
Amaechi machine.
Abe had wanted to be governor of the
state after Amaechi but was not as favoured as Dakuku Peterside who got the
former governor’s nod to be the governorship candidate of the APC after all of
them moved out from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the APC.
Amaechi, however, also backed Abe in
the 2016 National Assembly re-run elections which turned into a war that was
heavily influenced by federal forces marshaled by Amaechi. With the sight of
all persons fixed on the 2019 governorship, reports began to emerge of discord
within the Amaechi group with claims that the caucus leader, Amaechi was not
favourably disposed to Abe emerging as candidate.
There have been mutterings that
Amaechi is rather disposed to oil magnate, Mr. Tonye Cole, a development that
has not been well received by party activists. Those who spoke to the Vanguard
on condition of anonymity said they would prefer to work for somebody they had
bonded with for a long time as the governorship candidate of the party rather
than one they consider a stranger to the party.
Loyal associates of Amaechi say that
the crisis was triggered by those opposed to instructions that politicking for
the 2019 ticket should wait till 2018. “What Amaechi said was that we should
not campaign yet until 2018 and that we should take this time to build the
party because we have battles ahead,” a loyal associate of Amaechi’s told
Vanguard on condition of anonymity.
Okocha, one of those sacked by
Amaechi told Vanguard that he was removed because of his political romance with
Senator Abe. He said he had no regret with his preference for Abe to pick the
governorship ticket.
“They just removed me now for
supporting Senator Magnus Abe; the removal is to confirm that APC belongs to
one man. Nothing to worry about because he (Amaechi) also appointed me. The one
who appoints has powers to remove. He has (also) removed his former
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu. I support Abe because I
believe he has the qualities. 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.
”Senator Wilson Ake another APC
chieftain who is also accused of routing for Senator Abe said it was
unfortunate that a yet to be declared ambition could be tearing APC in the
state apart. He said Abe had not told anyone publicly of a governorship
aspiration as he wondered why speculations from some would be allowed to
generate so much heat in the party.
“Magnus Abe was in the Senate with
me. We developed mutual, respect for each other. I admire him as a very
forthright and articulate young man. If there is any interest, he has I should
not be against him. I know he has a quality that is admirable, anybody will
want to give him encouragement. As it is he has not given me any open
impression that he is going for the governorship. Until he declares publicly
the position can be much clearer. For now, he has not told anybody openly of
any interest. So I don’t know why the brouhaha in the party.
People are just speculating a whole
lot of things. I know he has a lot of admirers right from the first instance
when we joined APC in 2015. When the decision was made that it was going to be
Dakuku even though he felt disappointed, I know he took it calmly,” he said.
Even as he affirmed his support for
Abe, Ake, nevertheless, pledged his loyalty to the Amaechi machine. “There is
no strain in our relationship. Chibuike Amaechi is more like a family brother,
going by his relationship with my late elder brother. There is no strain that
should exist between us,” he said.
Ake also rebuffed insinuations that
the muttering was the reason he missed Amaechi’s 52nd birthday party in Port
Harcourt last weekend, saying he was at the airport to fly down for the event
in Port Harcourt but missed the flight.
Political differences
“At the venue of the event, you saw
some fliers in my name congratulating him. For me, politics is not supposed to
be a do or die thing. Friendship should be sustained no matter our political
differences,“ he added.
Meantime, Rivers state Chairman of
the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya has said the changes announced by Amaechi did not
affect the structure of the party at any level in the state. He said the
caucuses were the political platform of Amaechi, so he had the powers to
determine who held what position there.
His words “All members of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in Rivers State are intact. From our
ward officers to State party executives, no one has been removed or suspended
from office. We are aware that our leader, the leader of the party in the
state, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is making some changes in his personal
political group, team or caucus in the State. It is his right and prerogative
to make any leadership changes within his political team, group or caucus.”
source...
No comments:
Post a Comment