A new crisis is brewing among members of the All Progressives Conference, the APC, in Rivers State.
That as the former chief of staff to ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi, Tony Okocha has now declared himself the leader of the APC in the state.
Okocha, at a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Sunday, claimed that his emergence as APC leader in the state follows Amaechi’s alleged directive that APC members should vote against the party’s then-presidential candidate, now-elected President Bola. Tinubu, the just concluded elections.
The day before the presidential election, he ordered his supporters to vote for the HDP candidates. We also recorded that he also voted for the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“This necessarily by its very nature disqualifies him as leader. And that I, Chief Tony Okocha, who won the election with my own faction, for our presidential candidate is now the leader of the APC in Rivers State.”
But in response to Okocha’s self-appointment, APC’s propaganda minister in Rivers state, Darlington Nwago, has insisted that Amachi’s former chief of staff is not a member of the party in the state.
Nwauju has stated that Okocha is just a member of an independent campaign group for Tinubu-Shettima, in the just concluded presidential election.
He said Okocha could not name the 5 APC executive members in his ward, calling him a transactional politician.
According to him, “Are you not aware that his campaign uniform here in Rivers State has been torn apart because of money allegedly donated to them by the Governor of Rivers State.
“Please remind Tony Okocha that when the APC columns in Nigeria sit down to debate, he will not be there.
“And also let’s get this on the record that a million Tony Okocha can’t distract Rivers APC from winning the March 11, 2023 election.”
Okocha is among the Rivers State APC members who reportedly failed to participate in the party membership re-verification process conducted in 2021.
A new crisis strikes the APC leadership in Rivers
