SURE-P Funds: APC Dismisses PDP’s Claims

The All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Rivers State has faulted claims that the party’s registration exercise in Rivers State was funded with the SURE-P Funds.
The  party’s State Publicity Secretary, Chief Andy Nwenye who described the claims as a cheap blackmail told The Tide in an interview that nobody was induced to register for the party in the State.
According to him, the allegations by the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were lies and cannot be substantiated, adding that the state government and APC did not force anybody to register as member of the party.
“People are coming on their own to join the party because it has the ideology to change the country to a better place”, he said.
The State Peoples Democratic Party had accused the Rivers State Government of using the SURE-P fund to induce people to join the APC.
But the APC said such allegations were fabricated with the intention to deceive the people, adding that the SURE-P programme had started long before the commencement of the party’s membership registration nationwide.
According to Chief Nwonye, “SURE-P did not start today, it started about a year ago, how do you tie SURE-P to political party registration, so there is no bearing to that claims.
“It took people one good year to form APC in consultations with other parties.  The party considered what it will encounter in future before it came into existent”, he said.
He noted that despite the antics of the Peoples Democratic Party to halt the registration exercise in the state, the party was moving ahead to ensure total victory both in the state and the nation at large.
Also debunking the PDP’s claims were the State Commissioner for Power, Sir Augustine Nwikocha and the Interim Chairman of APC in the Port Harcourt City Local Government and former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon Sunny Nwokekoro. In a separate interview with The Tide, the two APC chieftains said the State government did not force any one to register for the party.
Hon Nwokekoro, however, attributed the massive turnout during the APC registration in the State to the development strive recorded by the State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi in the State, stressing that the exercise was a strong indication that the people were prepared to embrace the wind of change blowing across the country.
While thanking the people for coming out enmass to register for APC, he expressed delight that no ugly incidents were recorded during the exercise in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Inter-Party Matters, Hon. Solomon Ebeku (3rd left), registering as APC member at Ward 7, Ula-Upata in Ahoada East LGA recently, while other APC supporters watch.
Photo: King Osila