By: Felix Ikpotor
The Rivers State Chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, maybe in for another round of crisis as the party prepares for another congress.
This is even as the former Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, Magnus Abe, has warned the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, against instigating fresh crisis in the party.
Senator Abe issued the warning when members of the APC Visionary Media Team paid him a courtesy visit at his residence in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said the actions of Amaechi, which cause the party to lose out of the 2019 general elections were about to re-occur.
The former lawmaker, therefore, stressed that his faction of the APC will not accept the call for congress by Amaechi.
He said, “The Minister of Transportation on assuming office and the first thing he did was to announce congress in Rivers APC. And I ask myself, this was the same kind of behavior that led the party to where it is.
“Everybody in Nigeria knows that the origin of crisis in APC was from the congress and how the congress was handled.
“And now, he’s announcing another congress. What congress is he announcing? Is he the chairman of the party. Is he the National Working Committee of the party, is he the court?
“What kind of a leader grows a party like that? We will not accept that congress.”
Abe urged the minister to demonstrate his sincerity in rebuilding the party by consulting others and showing respect for the rights and feelings of all members of the party.
The senator appealed to members to be resolute and committed to the growth of the party in the state.
He assured the group that even if he is out of office, he is still a politician that is committed to the development of the party, insisting that what is needed is peace, inclusiveness, progress and the commitment of all members to move the party forward.
Reacting to Abe’s comments, Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi queried why the immediate past senator has started showing early signs of apprehension for the forthcoming congresses of the APC in Rivers State.
Amaechi in a statement by his media office also wondered why Senator Abe resorted to name calling and uncouth language to describe the planned congresses announced by the Minister to his supporters.
“I addressed my supporters to go home and prepare for congresses, I didn’t give them any date and time, and those are the responsibility of the national secretariat.
“Senator Magnus Abe has no reason to be afraid of congress; he should tell his supporters to also prepare for congresses of the party in the state since he says he is very popular. A popular politician should be very happy anytime congress is on the table,” Amaechi declared.
Amaechi who is the leader of the party in Rivers State had announced to his supporters during the reception in Abuja that followed his inauguration as a second term Minister that they should begin to prepare themselves for congresses as part of rebuilding and repositioning the party in Rivers State.
