The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, seems not to be abating soon as the party now has two factional chairmen in the state.
Chief Emeka Beke, loyal to Minister Chibuike Amaechi faction was elected chairman of the party last Saturday at a congress held at the Polo Club in Port Harcourt.
However, a former leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Golden Ngozi Chioma has maintained that he is the rightful chairman of the party in the state.
Chioma belongs to the faction loyal to Senator Magnus Abe.
Speaking after at a briefing o Tuesday, Chioma asked the State Governor, Nyesom Wike to start preparing his hand over notes ahead of 2023 as the party under his leadership is poised to produce a governor in 2023.
Chioma, at a briefing on Tuesday morning, told journalists that his faction conducted it’s Ward and Local Government Congresses before their state congress which saw his emergence as Chairman.
He said the party is now ready than ever to win elections.
“We held the ward, local government, state congresses. We are a political party that wants to win elections.
“Governor Wike should start to prepare his handover note. APC will rule Rivers State in 2023. APC will ensure that a credible candidate would emerge as its governorship candidate. Only APC can rescue the country from its doldrums,” he said.
He added: “A truly progressive party has no business being trapped in retrogressive and impunity- riddled practices”
“My coming on board as Chairman of Rivers APC will free the party from the stranglehold of the old and discredited practices which chased us from the PDP in 2013 into the APC”.
“People who cannot wean themselves from the traits of undemocratic practices must think of what to do because they will never be allowed to contaminate the lofty ideals of APC in order to satisfy their own idiosyncrasies”.
“APC in Rivers State has been taken away from people with god-syndrome to the ordinary people of Rivers State.
“This party is a party of the people, not a party of one man”.
He urged supporters to continue to keep faith as the party will do its best to protect their interests.
He added that programs of the APC under his leadership will be intellectually based and urged members who are yet to revalidate and those interested in registering to take advantage as registration opportunities will be made open for everyone.
Some prominent members of the Senator Magnus Abe faction of the APC including, Former Attorney General, Barr. Worgu Boms, Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Chidi Wihioka, Former Chief of Staff, Tony Okocha and many others were present at the meeting.
PHSpectator reports that with this development, Rivers State has now joined the league of states having more than one chairmen of APC.
