The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress has dashed the hopes of some of the party’s gladiators in Rivers State, when it ordered that the purportedly elected new executive officers should not be inaugurated until pending issues were resolved.
The Tide recalls that a High Court in Port Harcourt, last week, nullified the ward, local government and state congresses of the APC in Rivers State, describing the process for the conduct of the congresses as fraudulent, thereby heightening already deep-seated crisis in the party in the state.
The party’s decision came at the inauguration of the newly-elected chairmen of the various state chapters of the APC by the outgoing National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, at the party’s National Secretariat, in Abuja, last Monday.
At the event, party chairmen from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory were sworn in and given the mandate to begin the process of reconciling aggrieved members of the party in their domains.
Speaking at the ceremony, Odigie-Oyegun advised chairmen in Rivers, Lagos, Oyo, Taraba, and Delta, among others, not to go ahead with the inauguration of other members of the state executives to allow for harmonisation and reconciliation.
Explaining further, Odigie-Oyegun said, “There is a serious need for quick reconciliation especially in Rivers, Taraba, Oyo, Delta, Lagos and others.
“Let the chairmen here wait and should not inaugurate their executives like the others until the issues with the congresses in such states are resolved.
“I’m going to set up a committee headed by the deputy national chairman, (North) to study the situations in such states for possible actions. There will be concessions and harmonisation after the exercise within this week.”
On Lagos’ case, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “The case of Lagos is clearly a constitutional matter. We set up a committee to consider the report of the congresses held there. Of course, we overruled those who conducted their congress in 57 local government areas, because the constitution only recognises 20 local governments.”
He, however, explained that the party leadership was not opposed to seeking for political solutions to some of the issues not only in Lagos but in other states where the “so-called” parallel congresses were conducted.
It was learnt that notable party chieftains who did not secure the party’s support for their case include: the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; and Senator Shehu Sani of Kaduna.
Their supporters stayed away from the congresses conducted in Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna states.
Others who lost out include the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and an aspirant for the position of the APC National Chairman, Chief Clement Ebri, who conducted a parallel congress in Cross River State.
Odigie-Oyegun while addressing the newly inaugurated state chairmen, urged them to work for the success of the APC in the forthcoming election.
He said, “You have the onerous task of nurturing the APC. You have to work hard to return the lost glory of the party. Also make sure you work hard for the re-election of our President.
“We are aware of conflicts, disaffections and bad blood in the party. Put all this aside and work for the victory of our party at the 2019 general elections.
Some of the state chairmen inaugurated on Monday are Chief Derin Adebisi (Ogun); Ojukaye Flag-Amachree (Rivers); Godwin Etim John (Cross River); Dr. Ben Nwoye (Enugu); and Alhaji Tunde Balogun (Lagos).
Others are Jothan L. Amos (Bayelsa); Dr. Hillary Eke (Imo); Abdullahi Abass (Kano); Nitte K. Amangal (Gombe); Abdullahi Bello (Kogi); and Ade Adetimehin (Ondo).
Meanwhile, ahead of the June 23, national convention of the APC, it has been revealed that each aspirant to the chairmanship position will pay N500, 000 for the nomination form.
However, the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr Osita Okechukwu, has said the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, was free to have the All Progressives Congress.
Okechukwu said this while responding to questions from newsmen at the National Secretariat of the APC, in Abuja.
However, one of the conveners of the APC Restoration Coalition in Imo State, Dr. Toe Ekechi, said the VON DG was merely expressing a personal opinion.
Ekechi noted that Okorocha, for now, remained the governor of Imo State and that his support and contribution would be welcome should he decide to continue to support the APC.
Earlier, Okechukwu had said the APC was now better positioned to make a greater impact on the South-East with or without the governor.
He expressed confidence that the APC would consolidate on its power come 2019 by winning seats at the executive and legislative levels in state and at the federal levels.
Okechukwu said, “At least, there are more than 60 political parties now, Okorocha is free to join any of his choice. Though we are not forcing him to leave, what we are saying is we have taken the leadership out of his hands because he was playing God.
“He was personalising power, so the majority of the leadership and membership of the APC in the South-East said, ‘thank you, so far so good enough is enough.’
“So, what I am just saying is that he was at liberty to leave the APC but let nobody anywhere think that the APC will lose because we have retrieved the party from him. No, the APC is the winner as a political party.
“In my place, there is a saying that when a bird is dancing on the main road it means there is a drummer in the bush, and I am pointing at the drummer of all that is happening in the South-East. But luckily, the majority, over 90 per cent of the leadership and membership of the APC in the South-East has said enough is enough to our former leader, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.”