By: Felix Ikpotor
The Golden Ben-Chioma led faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State says it’s ready for the forthcoming April 2021 local government polls in the state, urging members to come out to pick forms and vie for whatever positions of their choice.
A statement by Golden Ben-Chioma, the acting Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party called on “esteemed members of the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State who consider themselves worthy to come forward to pick up forms for both Councillorship and Chairmanship categories in the 319 Wards and 23 LGAs respectively to contest the April 2021 Local Government Council elections as announced by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC”.
The statement urged members of the party across the state to be actively involved by participating in the forthcoming election. The statement reads: “We must make the best of this golden opportunity to shake off the toga of never-do-wells as have been the case in the past. APC Rivers State has not only come to stay but must move away from our inglorious past, when we did not plan adequately for elections due to the actions of one man. This time around we shall not only participate but must also strive to win seats in the Wards and Local Government Councils”.
He called on the Isaac Ogbobula faction not to deceive its followers by putting their political future in abeyance.
“ On this note, I call on Mr. Isaac Ogbobula, a perpetual imposter, surrogate and so-called chairman of an aggrieved group loyal to the selfish, self-serving political interest of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, the godfather to stop deceiving and misleading party faithful in the state. This group led by the godfather of APC Rivers State has a penchant for creating false hope for unsuspecting members of our dear party with the aim of continually and perpetually putting their political future in abeyance. This evil must stop now because APC is a political party with a primary duty to contest elections and not a social club that ends up with meetings, airport receptions for the Minister, birthday parties, thanksgivings and burial ceremonies”.
To the 2015 Local Government Chairmanship litigants of the party he said, “may I remind them that the tenure of office for which they were elected into office had long elapsed and this current Local Government Council elections scheduled by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission RSIEC for April 2021, is the second in the series after their long defunct tenure. They must learn from the classical Ladoja case even though we know that it is their right to seek redress in Court believing that justice will come their way someday. It is rather curious but instructive to note that those known forces urging them on and engineering them today to push in futility for the scuttling of the forthcoming LGA election had all the opportunities in this world to save or at least help them but failed to do so. The question now is, why did the Hon Minister of Transportation not agree to at least meet with them before this time to hear their own side of the case and possibly offer advise or assistance no matter how little? Why are they being given prominence now and to what end? Is it because they are needed as willing tools to scuttle an election and later dumped as is always the case? They are all adults and should know when the game is over. They should stop playing into the hands of people who’s only interested is to use and dump them. Are they not tired of being used as pawns just for the sustenance of the godfather’s political visibility and relevance? For the avoidance of doubt, this effort of theirs will not yield any meaningful result and they should know by now”.
Chioma added: “we are committed to ensuring that youths and all others who have not had the chance to occupy elective political offices are encouraged to have a chance to win elections and occupy political positions successively contrary to the unbridled ambition of a known godfather who is bent on destroying them. This commitment for giving young people the chance is what we cannot compromise because if those whose kernels were cracked by the benevolent spirits did not have such privileges, the likes of Amaechi would not have had a taste of power. The question now is, when shall blind followership be replaced by proper qualitative reasoning. Are they not fed up and tired of being used by Rotimi Amaechi for destruction and divisiveness? When shall these young people wake up from this deep slumber of deceit and take their destiny in their own hands? APC members must not wait till tomorrow to do the needful because the time is now!”
