The crisis in the Rivers state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took dramatic dimension on Thursday when a faction of the party conferred on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, the political infantry of the state.

Led by Tony Okocha, former Chief of Staff to former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, the faction urged the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to deal with Wike and ignore others parading themselves as leaders and members of the party in the state.

They described those parading themselves as Rivers APC members and leaders as impostors that worked against the party and the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president during the presidential election.

They insisted that they lack the rectitude to visit the APC national secretariat to ask for appointments in a government they worked against.

In his response, Ganduje concurred that the victory of President Tinubu in Rivers state during the presidential election was miraculous but added that Wike must have been the messiah used in actualising the victory.

The former Kano State governor however warned the warring factions in the state chapter of the party to give peace a chance and allow the national leadership to deploy every measure of conflict resolution mechanism.

Earlier in their address during the courtesy visit on the party, the delegation said: “Finally, we pray Mr Chairman to discountenance the machinations of the pretenders, who via hues and cries and trumping up lies, want to negate the natural law that aptly recommends that “one reaps where the one sows.

“Those persons never supported the party nor are they sincere in their hearts, to be happy that President Tinubu made it to the Presidency.

“Mr Chairman, we summarise that the only group in APC Rivers state legitimate to seek compensation for the victory of APC/Tinubu in RIvers state, is the one here. Please contact us through the leader of the political infantry in Rivers state, who is serving in the federal cabinet presently,” they quipped.

In his response, Ganduje said: “There is no doubt River state is a very important state in Nigeria, an oil state and also a reasonably population, which is an asset for election and an asset to any political party. So you can see how we cannot rubbish the state, Rivers as a state in politics is a very important state.

“In summary, our party in River state is highly fictionalised, that is a fact about it. Our part in River state was killed by litigations, that one is a fact. And one important question that you asked is how come we won presidential election and lost state election. You said that was a miracle. Yes, if you say a miracle, there must be a messiah.

“We have to thank and congratulate you over the positive outcome of the election and what you did was as a result of what we are enjoying now because without winning federal election across many states, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed could not have become the president of this country.

“We have to congratulate you for that. What we are saying, is that yes, there is confusion in the party, but we don’t want members to overheat the system. We are focused, we are organised, we work scientifically in politics.

“Therefore, give us an enabling environment, give us a chance so that we can put a round peg in a round hole, square peg in a square hole to maintain our dignity as a party.

“We have to capitalize on what we have, we have to capitalize on the fact that we have worn the national election in River state.

“We are not extracting anything less again, but give us a chance to see how we can have both the states and the national election together. Whatever it is we have received your address and the party will come in and see how we can get a solid party leaderships that we can move forward.

“But what we are begging is do not overheat the system. In overheating the system, some will go for litigation and then a vicious cycle will come again. We don’t want too much analysis because they say too much analysis leads to paralysis. So give us a chance so that we can consult, so that we look at the constitution of APC and then we wait and see how we can put things in order,” Ganduje appealed. (Daily Sun)

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