By: Felix Ikpotor
Controversy is still trailing the choice of Architect Tonye Cole as the consensus riverine candidate of the minister of transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.
This is even as Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, a frontline riverine aspirant and one of the signatories of the April 11, 2022 agreement between riverine aspirants in the party has come out to condemn in strong terms the process which threw up Cole as consensus candidate.
Flag-Amachree in a statement by his campaign office described the consensus as a ‘devious means of taking the party back to its doom come 2023’.
The statement signed by Lady Helen Gladstone for the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree Support Movement (OFASM) also pointed out that the decision by 19 elders of the party that chose Cole was against the provisions of the new electoral act.
“In order to put the records straight as regards the emergence of a consensus candidate, it is pertinent to note that, the provision as enshrined in the new electoral act states clearly that, The state working committee (SWC) has to meet to affirm a consensus governorship aspirant with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in attendance before Submitting the person’s name to the electoral body. Aside that, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall not accept such nomination.
Furthermore, Paragraph 3,4 and 5, of the communique signed on the 11/04/2022, clearly reveals the agreement reached by aspirants of the All Progressive Congress in respect to their ambition.
i) Paragraph 3 states that,The progressive aspirants also agreed to work in unity and support whoever emerges at the party primaries either by way of consensus or election, as exemplified by the party’s leadership in the just concluded national convention.
ii) Paragraph 4,states that,The progressive aspirants also called on the leadership of the party to ensure a level playing field during the primaries to give everyone a sense of belonging, fairness and equity.
iii) Paragraph 5, states that, As a way of respecting the party’s supremacy, The aspirants resolved that, immediately a candidate emerges, all aspirants will put self ego aside and collapse their campaign structure into the party structure to support the flag bearer to win the 2023 elections for APC in Rivers state.
From the basis of the foregoing, the following can be deduced:
First, As enshrined in the new electoral act, A consensus candidate can only emerge, if the state working committee meets to affirm a consensus governorship aspirant in the presence of the officials of the independent national electoral Commission, without which, the process will be considered invalid.
Secondly, As stated in Paragraph 3 of the communique signed by the aspirants above, A Consensus candidate can only emerge either by consensus or election, but must take place the primaries not in one’s residence by a selected few considered as elders.
The constitution of the All progressive Congress, did not recognize and empower a certain group of people referred to as “Elders of the Party” to converge at an individual’s residence to adopt an aspirant and impose such on the party as a consensus candidate, hence the condemnation.
Thirdly, The consensus is contrary to the communique signed by the aspirants as contained in Paragraph 4, which calls on the leadership of the party to ensure a level playing field during the primaries,” it said.
OFASM advised the “invisible hands involved in this act to desist from it as it will yield no positive fruits”.
