The new caretaker committee of the ever-troubled Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it did not overthrow the court judgment that installed Igo Aguma as caretaker committee chairman but only exploited the opportunity in it to remove him.
This is as the party says it is returning power to the grassroots levels of the party, haven learnt from the enormous powers at ward level as exemplified by the Adams Oshiomhole debacle where his ward suspended him and it led to his travails at the national levels up to the Federal Appeal Court in Abuja.
The new chairman, Sokonte Davis, told the press in the week that it did not overthrow the judgment of the court that installed Aguma. “We were brought in by the same court order. We only changed our chairman. The action is within the constitution of the APC on disciplinary actions. Aguma may not have anticipated this aspect of the judgment. We are not in contempt.”
In an interactive session with newsmen, the former executive director in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) admitted that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party has written them to withdraw all cases in court. “Aguma is the one that has filed a case against us. He has not stepped into the officially recognised state secretariat.”
On how to manage the crisis this time around and avoid the 2019 debacle in 2023, Davis said: “Some supporters of the Aguma side are now supporting us. We are talking with everybody because we want to build a strong party.”
He said they must get the grassroots right because they elect the next level authority of the party. “We have found out that the grassroots people have no issue. It is those at the top that cause the crisis. They go to court and procure court orders to cause trouble. About 30 top leaders are the ones creating all the heat in the party. The Oshiomhole crisis has proved the power of the ward authority. It is good it happened to the party so we all can appreciate the power of the ward level people. Now, we have learned.”
Giving the sequence of events in the party in recent times, the new boss the party has been in crisis for long. It led us not to conduct our congress or to participate in the 2019 elections. All executive council (excos) members were dissolved.
“Now, with last year elections over, it was time to rebuild from the wards. Just then, when ward congresses were about to start, another court order struck. Court granted Igo Aguma right to be caretaker committee chairman, and ruled that statutory members of exco should be part of the Committee and that they should rebuild the party.
“But Aguma wanted to operate like a sole administrator and took sole decisions. We want to put an end to impunity in Rivers State APC. Members are frustrated because of lack access to participations. Our committee is popular as evidenced by the many solidarity visits from many group including market women.
“Rivers State APC cannot continue to be voiceless. It is not proper for the Rivers State APC not to have representatives at various levels and organs of government. Nobody is happy with what is happening, and people want an alternative voice in Rivers politics”.
The party boss said they were lucky this time that elections were not near. “Reconciliation between the Amaechi and Abe: Don’t play with the ordinary members of the party. No faction with the grassroots people. We have listened to them and we see they are not our problem. Do not just talk only to the big people and top men but talk to the ordinary people.
“The reason we talk to the top members is because they are the ones that can go to court and procure court orders. They can create problems. They can procure big lawyers and get judgment.”
He said it was mismanagement of ambitions and disputes that caused the problem in the APC, and nothing more. Now, nobody gained anything from it. “There are many others who have legitimate ambitions and gubernatorial, senatorial and other ambitions. It is wrong to keep harping on the ambition and whims of one or two persons.
“Chibuike Amaechi and Magnus Abe are friends. Party constitution empowers exco to discipline any of its members. Court did not oust the party constitution. Court did not make Aguma chairman in perpetuity. We want to return power to the grassroots.
“We will appeal to the national body to allow everybody who bought forms or buys forms to participate in the coming congresses. Whoever wins is it. We want an all-inclusive party. APC is intact; its juts clash of interests. Our big shots are currently being engaged and are engaging.”
