National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has cautioned chieftains of the party in the Rivers State chapter, believed to enjoy the sympathy of former governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike not to overheat the polity and to allow peace to reign in the party.
Ganduje gave the words of caution on Thursday when a leader of the group, Tony Okocha, led certain members of his faction to a meeting with the APC national chairman.
Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that former governorship candidate Tonye Cole led a similar delegation to the party national secretariat recently.
Cole is perceived as an ally of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who came second in the Presidential convention where Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the APC standard bearer last year.
The Rivers State chapter had since been polarized into two factions.
Ganduje, who told the Tony Okocha faction that he was aware of the crack in the Rivers State chapter, asked them to allow the national secretariat to wade into the crisis.
In an apparent reference to the indifference of Rotimi Amaechi and his ally to the presidential aspiration of the APC standard bearer and incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ganduje who acknowledged the contribution of the pro- Wike faction to the party victory in the south state, however, urged them to be law abiding and refrain from actions that could paint the party in bad light.
He said:” Our party in River state was killed by litigations, that one is a fact.
“And one important question that you asked, and we have to ask, how come we won the presidential election and lost the state election?
“You said that was a miracle. Yes, if you say a miracle, there must be a messiah.
“So, we have to thank you for the presidential election; we have to not only thank you, we have to congratulate you, and what you did is a result of what we are enjoying now.
“Because without winning the federal election, across many states, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed could not have become the president of this country.
“So, we have to congratulate you on that. But what we are saying, yes, there is confusion in the party, but we don’t want members to overheat the system; we are focused, we are organised, we work scientifically in politics.
“And therefore, you give us an enabling environment, give us a chance so that we can put a round peg in a round hole, a square peg in a square hole so that we maintain our dignity as a party.
“We have to capitalize on what we have, we have to capitalize on the fact that we have won the national election in River State.
“Whatever it is, we have received your address, and the party will come in and see how we can get a solid party leadership so that we can move forward.
” But we are begging: do not overheat the system. Overheating the system, some will go for litigation, and then a vicious cycle will come again.
“We don’t want too much analysis because they say too much analysis leads to paralysis.
“So give us a chance so that we can consult, so that we look at the constitution of APC, and then we wait and see how we can put things in order.”
Earlier in his presentation, Chief Okocha accused the former Minister of Transportation, who lost the party presidential ticket to Tinubu, of anti-party activities as he alleged that the former Rivers State governor and the governorship candidate worked against the APC presidential candidate in the last general elections.
He said, ” In Rivers State, hostilities against Asiwaju as the candidate of APC mounted even more unashamedly.
“The Party in Rivers State staged no campaign for her Presidential candidate, nor was Tinubu’s candidacy mentioned in any of their campaign rallies in the 23 Local Government Areas.
“No billboard. No backdrop at campaign venues.
Only two out of the 15 candidates for the House of Representatives shared campaign posters with Tinubu’s picture or sign.
(The two who did were so bashed and seen as betrayers).
“Tonye Cole, candidate of APC Rivers for Governorship, was the coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, in Rivers State.
“From the inauguration of the PCC in Abuja in October 2022, where State chapters were charged to replicate same in their respective States, till the second week in January 2023, Mr Cole convened no meeting of PCC members.”
. TheWitness
