A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State which said it got massive support from Governor Nyesom Wike to deliver Bola Ahmed Tinubu for president of the APC has announced decision to work for success of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state come March 11, 2023.
The faction led by Tony Okocha, chief of staff to then governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, now political foe, told the press on Thursday, March 2, 2023, that the decision was taken to pay back Governor Wike who he said massively helped them to deliver Tinubu.
The grassroots-based Independent Campaign Council (ICC) worked with the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the APC to deliver Tinubu of the APC instead of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, a twist that helped to justify Gov Wike’s boast to punish his party and its candidate for taking both the presidential candidacy and the post of national chairman to the north.
Okocha said that it was the ICC that went round Rivers State months ago establishing support groups for Tinubu’s success.
He said: “Recall that months before the APC presidential primaries, we painstakingly traversed the nooks and crannies of Rivers state, Inaugurating structures and canvassing for support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our preferred aspirant for the presidential ticket of the APC, amidst stiff opposition and threat to our membership of the party for reason that our choice was an affront to a powerful generalissimo taunted audaciously as hair-apparent to the throne, who was then the leader of the APC in Rivers state.”
He said the main APC faction with the governorship candidate did not campaign for Tinubu for one day. He also said not more than N10m came from outside Rivers State for the BAT campaigns, saying the billions of naira came all from Gov. Wike.
On that score, he said the ICC would only pay him back by voting for whoever Gov Wike preferred as the next governor, in that case, Opobo-born Sim Fubara of the PDP.
The ICC said they suffered much in the hands of the Amaechi-led APC structure in the state and that they were not allowed access to revalidation and nomination papers to contest elections and executive membership.
He said: “Recall, the deliberate preference of members of Tonye Cole’s campaign council over appointed members of the presidential campaign council in constituting of the campaign rally sub committees that held on the 15th February 2023 in Rivers state and our stout opposition thereto.”
Read also: INEC declares APC winner of Rivers presidential election
He said: “We relied on the Asiwaju’s track records hiding under the aegis of a support group, for still morbid phobia of possible expulsion from the Party, to rile support of Rivers people for the candidate.
“In most of those media engagements, our opposition didn’t come from other political party members, but our own party chieftains.
Knowing that as our predicament, we audibly philosophized that “Asiwaju will win more votes in Rivers state than the APC”.
“As Rivers people, we take our destinies into our hands. No external/ centrifugal forces must dictate for us.
“We have witnessed and enjoyed good governance in Rivers state under Gov Wike. A government that continues to inaugurate and commission projects even at her twilight, should be commended. A chip-off-the-old-block should be encouraged, supported and promoted.
“No need to hair-split, unnecessary altercation or indulging in violence/blood-letting.”
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