Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Leaders of Rivers chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC has described reports that Transport Minister and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi sacked some leaders of the party in the State for allegedly being in support of the 2019 gubernatorial ambition of Senator Magnus Abe. But the party said Amaechi which it described as its leader sacked some people in his “political group team or caucus.”
“This is not true, entirely false and misleading. For clarity, we wish to state categorically that all members of APC leadership in Rivers State are intact. From our ward officers to State party executives, no one has been removed or suspended from office,” Dr. Davies Ikanya, Rivers State Chairman of APC said in a statement on Saturday
Speaking further, the Rivers APC Chairman said, “the leader of the party in the state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is making some changes in his personal political group, team or caucus in the State.
“It is his right and prerogative to make any leadership changes within his own political team, group or caucus. Amaechi created the caucus, team or group, appointed its members and leaders and so can make any changes he deems fit with this is personal group, team or caucus.
“But we must emphasize that these changes by the Honourable Minister of Transportation within his personal political team, group or caucus has absolutely nothing to do with the party leadership structure and does not affect the party leadership structures at all levels in the State.”
“The state APC Chairman said contrary to speculations and deliberately misleading insinuations, no member of the party in the State is been stopped or prevented from having ambition or wanting to seek for any elective office. And we must reinstate here that no APC member will be stopped or prevented from seeking any elective office.
“We know for a fact that as a consummate democrat, our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has not and will not stop, prevent or even attempt to discourage any party member from seeking any political office, elective or otherwise.
Distancing itself from the reports that the ambition of Senator Magnus Abe’s Governorship ambition within the party has been foreclosed by Amaechi, APC added, “For purpose of clarity, we want to emphasize that as a truly democratic party, the APC in Rivers State will ensure a level-playing field for all its aspirants to any elective political office. In accordance with our party rules, regulations and constitution, we shall be fair to all aspirants and will always ensure that the process leading to the emergence of our candidates for all elective political offices is free, fair and credible.
“Sadly, this morning, with the deluge of orchestrated false and fake stories about our party and our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in some segments of the media today, we are constrained to believe that these comments are fake like the false and fake stories been peddled to the media by detractors about a non-existent crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the APC; and fake comments that are been deceitfully and misleadingly attributed to our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“Finally, we want to remind and appeal to all APC party members in Rivers State that we are just half way into 2017, and campaigns for the various 2019 elections are yet to commence. Therefore, this is the time to join hands, come together and work in harmony to build a stronger and better party that will defeat our opponents at the polls in 2019.”