How we’re working to reconcile members of APC in Rivers – Amaechi loyalists

Thursday, July 9, 2020 8:57 am

Dr Sokonte Davies,

*Senators Andrew Uchendu and Wilson Ake are heading reconciliatory contact committee

*Party members are tired of lingering crisis, they way want to rebuild the party soonest.

Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt

The chairman of the faction of All Progressives Congress faction in Rivers State loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Dr Sokonte Davies has assured that his Caretaker Committee, which he claimed was set up by 28 Statutory members as required by the party’s constitution has commenced reconciliation process of all aggrieved members starting from the grassroots.

Davies stated this during an interaction with journalists in Port Harcourt.

He said “We have tried to reach out with some of our aggrieved members and still working towards internal reconciliation process headed by Senator Andrew Uchendu and Senator Wilson Ake.

“We are doing our reconciliation from the grassroots, but discovered that there is no problem at that level but from few leaders who have a lot of money to hire Lawyers to go to Court t cause crisis in the party. We recognize importance of grassroots politics because of how one ward caused the dissolution of the National Working Committee,NWC of APC and shake up in the party.

On the factions inherent in the party, Davies explained that to outsiders there seems to be factions with different leaders. “There is no faction in the grassroots. We speak because we listen to the grassroots. There are people that don’t have the narrative to influence the grassroots. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe are not in contention. Magnus calls Amaechi his Leader, they are not fighting. They are friends and their issues cannot stop the APC from moving forward,” Dr Davies assured.

Asked what he thinks is the root of the crisis in the party that had lingered for so long which denied it from fielding candidates for the 2019 elections, he said that the crisis rocking the party at the state level was mismanagement of ambition and grievances by some members.

Dr Davies assured that his Committee is working assiduously to reposition the party and bring it back to reckoning as a viable alternative to the ruling party in state.

He said as a mark of confidence in his Committee and the desire of members to rebuild the party,his Committee has been receiving different groups paying solidarity visits to the party Secretariat on Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

“We will retrieve the image of APC in Rivers, no effort will be spared to put an end to the crisis in the state party.

“This party (APC) has been in crisis over management of ambition and grievances of some members which has denied us filled a candidate in the last 2019 elections in the state.

“The National Working Committee of the APC set up the CTC after thorough check on the law guiding the party. Article 21 of the party empowers the Exco of the party to discipline it’s members, and make decisions for the party at the state level and as at today,this Secretariat is what ”.

Speaking on the removal of Hon Igo Aguma who was declared as the CTC Chairman of party by a Rivers State High Court, Dr Davies said, “There are different ways people are expressing their grievances that has cost the party a lot. Igo Aguma was the CTC Chairman of the party, but there were errors in his prayers in the court.

“Aguma was given the mandate to rebuild the party, but he wanted to be a Sole Administrator,which was at variance to certain positions of the party. He was running the party from his house, not known to party both at the state and the national level.

“We are not challenging the judgement of Justice George Omereji. But the later action of Aguma’s infractions on the Party’s constitution mandated the setting up of the current Committee. The NWC had written a letter to all APC members to withdraw all the court cases, but Igo Aguma instead filed a contempt case against us and we are going to challenge that”.

He said that from the contacts and reconciliatory moves going on, most members are very enthusiastic to rebuild the party because the real contest is in 2022 not 2023 as some people are erroneously envisaging.