Ahead of Saturday’s National Convention of the All Progressive Congress APC, the Rivers State chapter of the party is embroiled in a scandal as the Sen. Magnus Abe-led faction of the party has alleged the inclusion of dead persons and those who had left the party on the list of authentic delegates from Rivers State.

The group is accusing the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, of inclusion of the names even as the leadership of the Rivers APC has described the action as “an obvious overnight”

Abe’s group has already submitted a petition jointly signed by former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Rivers state, Barr Worgu Boms, Senator Magnus Abe and Senator Wilson Ake among others, saying that it observed the deliberate inclusion of deceased persons on the delegates’ list already submitted for the convention by the Minister.

“We examined the list and found that it was inflated by adding names of deceased persons and persons who were never principal officers in the Rivers State House of Assembly (two categories of invalidity and nullity of delegates) status are attached to over twenty persons on the list in three broad categories of deceased persons, impostors, and persons who are no longer members of the APC”.

According to the petitioners such names as Chief D.U. Anucha, Hon. Apollos Amadi, Hon Martins Mannah, Hon Andrew Miller and Hon Felicia Tane who are included in the list had since died, yet they were named as delegates for the convention.

In another category, the petitioners stated that some of the names included on the lists were never in the position ascribed to them by the Minister and therefore should be regarded as imposters.

“They were so presented so as to bring them into the delegates’ category since being a member of House of Assembly is not. We do not say that they were not in the state legislature on the dates listed against their names. We state that it is not true that they were principal officers as claimed”.

The Abe faction of the party claimed that members like Hon Samuel Oguru, Hon Bob Fredrick, Hon Victoria Nyeche, Hon Collins Ordu, Hon Onari Brown and Hon Ibroma Kitchner were not principal officers in the Rivers state House of Assembly as described by the list.

Also in that category are Hon Gift Wokocha, Hon Lucky Odili and Hon Ishmael Singer on the delegates’ list in the category of present and past principal officers of the State Assembly.

Others are Hon Maureen Tamuno, Hon Chidiebere Okwu-Worlu, Hon Belema Okpokiri, Hon Charles Anyanwu and Hon John Bazia.

The petitioners said a letter they got from the Clerk of the Rivers state House of Assembly denied the claim that the above names were principal officers of the House when they were members.

Also, the petitioners alleged that three persons whose names appeared on the list had since defected to the PDP, hence are no more members of the APC in Rivers state and wondered why they should be included in the delegates’ list.

Hon Fred Igwe, Hon Aboko Agolia and Senator Osinakachi Ideozu, had since left or were not even members of the APC and therefore calls for questions why such names should be found on the list.

The petitioners however urged the convention committee to expunge such fake names from the list for the sanctity of the convention and the dignity of the party in particular.

Reacting to the allegation, Darlington Nwauju, Deputy Spokesman of Rivers APC described the inclusion of the controversial names as an obvious overnight saying that it was a pity that Senator Abe’s style of painting Rivers APC in bad light has not changed.

He explained: “The State Exco of the APC was only inaugurated on the 7th of February 2022 and inherited a list of delegates which only required to be updated”.

‘What would it have taken Senator Abe as a member of the Accreditation Committee to draw the attention of State Exco to an obvious oversight? Must he and his group of friends always seek media attention?

“We see this as Senator Abe’s way of showing his group’s frustration at the outcome of the party’s decision to adopt the consensus method in choosing party officers in the 26th of March National Convention”, Nwauju stated. (Nigerian Tribune)

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