The Igo Aguma-led All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has clashed with the Isaac Ogbobula’s camp loyal to theTransport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi over suspensions of some APC leaders in the state.
Amaechi’s camp at the weekend announced the suspensions of Senator Magnus Abe, Igo Aguma, Wogu Boms and Livingstone Wechie accusing them of anti-party activities.
Also, Aguma’s bloc suspended Ogbobula for the same allegations and accused Amaechi and his loyalists of desperation.
Reacting to the development, Deeyah Emmanuel, a Chieftain of the APC from Aguma’s camp and former Commissioner described the suspensions of key members of his camp as a charade and an attempt to destroy the party.
Deeyah, a former commissioner under ex-governor Amaechi insisted that that the Ogbobula-led caretaker committee was never in existence because it lacked the legal rights to carry out the functions of APC in Rivers.
He said: “I just want to think that there are persons in the party who do not want the party to grow. Isaac Abbot-Ogbobula, I understand is a lawyer and if he is, he took Igo Aguma to Appeal Court over the judgement that made Aguma, the caretaker committee chairman of the party.
“Some of the cases are in the Supreme Court and they have not upturned the decision of the high court that said Igo should become chairman of the caretaker committee among other statutory members of the party.
“The Court of Appeal has not given the judgement and you are here again claiming chairmanship. If he is the authentic chairman he wouldn’t take this action. He does not derive power anywhere to do what he is doing. He is only creating confusion in the party.
“There was no stay of execution. In 2019 this was the same road we passed. We could have sat down to review all of these.”
Deeyah said the decision of the National Executive Council of the party to dissolve all the party structures across the country was not applicable to Rivers because the state never had elected officials.
Deeyah said: “There are many things wrong with what they are doing. The national said all the existing structures, that is elected, will be dissolved and that caretaker committees should replace them. But that does not apply to Rivers State because we do not have elected officials. So, where did Ogbobula come from?
“What you see is somebody who is desperate. According to lawyers he is seeking self-help. What they are doing is to destroy the party.
“There was no suspension. You cannot building something on top of nothing. What they did does not exist. They do not have the right to do that.”
However, in statement in Port Harcourt, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, the Spokesperson of Amaechi’s camp said that the party would not tolerate acts of destabilization.
Nwuke said most Rivers people were pleased with the decision of the party to recommend the expulsion of recalcitrant members, adding that the state secretariat acted on the request of aggrieved party members across the state.
He said: “We laud the leaders of our party right from the grassroots to the state level for seizing the opportunity to cut off the necks of hydra-headed snakes that have been spewing poison and hurting our members.
“We had hoped that initiating a peace process through the able collaboration of Senators Andrew Uchendu and Wilson Ake would clear the path for understanding and cooperation. It is evident that the gesture by our members on all sides to hunt for peace was largely misconstrued.”
