The internal crisis within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened following a recent court ruling that reinstated Chief Emeka Beke and his executive as legitimate party leadership.
In the latest edition of the Mic on Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Mr. Darlington Nwauju, spokesperson for the Rivers APC, accused the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by Abdullahi Ganduje, of siding with Tony Okocha’s faction—a move he claims undermines the judiciary’s authority. Expressing his shock, Nwauju stated,
“On the 22nd of November (2023), we heard an announcement (the dissolution of Emeka Beke’s APC leadership in Rivers) from the blues. No single stakeholder of the party was invited for any reason, for discussions anywhere at any level and at any time.”
Nwauju also criticized Tony Okocha, alleging that his actions were influenced by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. He remarked, “Tony Okocha does not work for himself. He works for the FCT Minister (Nyesom Wike). Whatever he is instructed to say or do, he’s going to do.” Additionally, Mr. Nwauju condemned the narratives pushed by Wike’s camp during the 2023 presidential election, asserting, “There was a deliberate surge or sponsorship of information or narrative by his (Wike’s) camp to ensure that he alone took the glory for Mr. President’s success in Rivers State.”
The marginalization of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi was another key issue raised by Mr Nwauju. He refuted claims that Amaechi had instructed party members not to campaign for President Tinubu, stating, “He (Rotimi Amaechi) is the leader of the APC (in Rivers). He has not resigned from the party. It is a lie (to say he gave any instructions or stopped any one of us from campaigning for Bola Tinubu in the presidential election).”
Meanwhile, Nwauju expressed concerns over Amaechi’s exclusion from Tinubu’s inauguration, noting, “On the day of the inauguration of Mr. President (May 29th, 2023), I may be wrong, but the information I got was that Amaechi was not even invited.”
Amid the escalating tensions, the Rivers APC Spokesperson called for a resolution to the crisis, urging the NWC to engage with Chief Emeka Beke to find a way forward. While he criticized the leadership’s apparent favoritism towards Tony Okocha, Nwauju emphasized the need for impartiality in reconciling the various factions within the Rivers APC, warning that failure to do so could further deepen the crisis. He concluded,
“It’s not about thinking, it is so (that the body language of Ganduje’s NWC) is tilting towards siding with Tony Okocha against Emeka Beke’s leadership. I think the solution to the APC crisis in Rivers is for the NWC under the Party Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to invite Chief Emeka Beke on the way forward.”
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