By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

• ‘Chapter not affected by dissolution’

• APC will fail again in Rivers, says Abe

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has continued following Igo Aguma’s insistence on being chairman of the caretaker committee.

Aguma, in a statement by his media aide, Livingstone Wechie, said the dissolution of all party structures by the National Caretaker Committee had no effect on the Rivers State chapter because of its pending court cases.

Wechie dismissed the inauguration of Isaac Ogbobula as chairman of the caretaker committee and his swearing in of caretaker committees in the local government and ward levels.

According to him, Ogbobula and others involved in the ceremonies were impostors and members of the Rotimi Amaechi Political Group. He insisted Rivers APC had no structures apart from the caretaker committee consisting of statutory party members led by Aguma, and as declared by the court.

He said: “The December 13 inauguration of local government chapters of the Amaechi Political Group (APG) by an impostor, Isaac Ogbobula, has nothing to do with the APC in Rivers State.

“For emphasis, the inauguration is that of an aggrieved set of people within the APC, consisting Amaechi’s followers.

“The National Executive Committee, during the last NEC meeting, announced the dissolution of all existing structures from wards, local government, state, zonal and national levels, and directed that all existing structures should now function as caretaker committees.

“It is on record that the APC has no existing structures in Rivers State at all levels, apart from the Caretaker Committee led by Aguma, comprising statutory members whose chairmanship was declared by the court and is still subsisting.

“We will continue to abide by the court judgments and any further judicial position in ensuring that justice is done on every issue in line with the APC Constitution.”

Senator Magnus Abe has said the APC will fail again in coming elections following its recent actions.

Abe described last Sunday’s inauguration of state, local government and ward caretaker committees as an act of impunity. He said leaders failed to consult widely before holding the inauguration.

A statement by his media aide, Parry Benson, said the inauguration was masterminded by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

He said it was the same attitude of insensibility that had kept the party in comatose in the state.

The senator maintained that any inauguration of caretaker committees without consultation of other stakeholders would only put the party in more chaotic situations.

He said: “It is this imperial approach to challenges facing the party without the input and consultation of other stakeholders that is responsible for the crisis. It is clear that those who believe in the power of man are once again on the move.

“It is unfortunate that APC in Rivers State has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing, it appears that the minister and his supporters are still bent on ‘their way or the highway’. The end result of this kind of behaviour is not difficult to predict. As usual, it will end in failure. When it fails, Nigerians should note that the choice of impunity, disrespect for party members, exclusion of critical stakeholders, contempt for judicial pronouncements and petty arrogance, over humility and inclusiveness, is the foundation of our serial failure as a party.”

By Bassey Anthony, Uyo

Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS) has sealed two branches of the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) – Udo Udoma and Abak road in Uyo for alleged N184 million debt.

The agency said on Monday that the bank was sealed for failure to settle its outstanding tax liabilities.

The branches were shut after the agency acquired an exparte order of Notice of Distrain from the State High Court.

The court order, signed by Justice Imeh Umanah, said access to the bank premises and its facilities be restricted.

Recall that the branches were given a warning notice on February 4. According to AKIRS, the bank failed to comply with the warning 10 months after.

It was also gathered that the bank sued AKIRS to court in Uyo, Port Harcourt and Benin, over the non-tax remittance but the cases were struck out in favour of AKIRS.

Executive Director (Enforcement and Recovery) Leo Umanah said the board had exhausted reconciliation and negotiation opportunities with the bank. He noted that since they refused to remit taxes accruing to the state despite the long time given them, AKIRS is left with no choice but get exparte order to recover the state’s revenue.

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Five persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in last month’s invasion of the Toru-Orua, Sagbama country home of former Governor Seriake Dickson.

A police inspector was killed in the attack.

Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police Mike Okoli stated this on Monday when he paraded 45 suspects for robbery, rape and murder.

Okoli said though crime and criminality could not be totally eradicated, the police were on top of their game to check and arrest perpetrators.

A 41-year-old man from Ekeremor, who works in the Ministry of Education, was also paraded for allegedly raping of a 25-year-old virgin.

The police boss said the five suspects who invaded Dickson’s home were arrested following intelligence gathering and discreet investigations.

The suspects confessed to planning the invasion but said they were not part of the attack.

He stated: “We will arraign them and allow the court determine their fate. They are also expected to tell the court who carried out the invasion that led to the inspector’s death.”

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has debunked insinuations that he was only developing the capital city at the detriment of other local government and rural areas.

Wike challenged persons accusing him of bias in locating projects to tell him the council lacking the presence of his administration.

He said: “I challenge anyone to tell me which local government is lacking government’s presence. I can tell you exactly what we’re doing in each local government.

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“People say all your development is in one area. I say fine, it means there’s development, however concentrated in one area. I should be happy that I have come to develop that part of the state. When you come too, you can develop another part. No one person can develop the whole areas.”

A statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, said Wike’s criticism of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should not be misunderstood to mean there was an irredeemable crisis in the party.

According to the statement, Wike spoke when friends and political associates visited to felicitate with him on his birthday.

He said since he couldn’t join another political party, particularly, the All Progressives Congress (APC), he would continue to speak out against perceived abnormalities in the PDP to ensure it did not die.

By Bisi Olaniyi, Benin

Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Prof. Lilian Salami on Monday said 27 per cent of candidates failed the 2020/2021 post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening.

The results was presented to the vice chancellor by Chairman of the Committee on Post-UTME, Prof. Ehimwenma Omoregie. He explained that 19,987 candidates sat for the examination, while 14,515 (72.62 per cent) were successful.

He added that of the 802 candidates affected by the technical hitch of December 8, 99 per cent returned to re-sit the examination, while the less than ten candidates yet to re-sit got another date through their e-mails and telephone numbers.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications Paulinus Nsirim has described allegations that Governor Nyesom Wike is plotting to destabilise the All Progressives Congress (APC) as hilarious and ridiculous.

Former Publicity Secretary of APC, Chris Finebone, had said Wike and other agents of the government were planning to initiate frivolous court actions to cripple the APC nationwide.

He said the plot was being hatched by Wike, some moles in the APC and unnamed chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him, part of the plan was to file all manner of cases against the APC to create further crisis in the party ahead of the 2023 elections.

But Nsirim, in a statement by his media aide, Amieyeofori Ibim, described Finebone’s accusations as ‘a more sinister, disturbing template already deployed in previous circumstances, with the dubious intent to heat up the polity ahead of the 2023 elections, and ultimately provoke and instigate unnecessary conflict across the state’.

The statement reads: “Finebone’s statement is ridiculous in context and hilarious in its contained allegations, especially when placed against the backdrop of a political party that has mired in endless internal litigations, and whose key figures have been intent and tenaciously insistent on testing the authenticity of their demands in court.

“Rivers APC should first remove the log in its eye before accusing any other party, or even the government, of attempting to destablise it. There must be something fundamentally wrong with a party like the APC, which nurses a morbid phobia for any attempt to test the legality of whatever decision its godfathers and dictators foist on its members, through legitimate due processes.

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“The lame excuse of always alluding to ‘tendencies within the APC in Rivers State that have been working in cahoots with the state’ jangles like the repetitive chorus of a broken record.

“Neither Governor Wike nor the PDP will waste time engaging in any legal battle with a party that has already self-destructed because of its own uncontrollable appetite for legal battles.”

The APC has vowed to sack the PDP ahead of the 2023 elections.

Caretaker Committee Chairman Isaac Abbot-Ogbobula spoke at the weekend in Port Harcourt when he inaugurated the party’s caretaker committees in the 23 local government areas.

Abbot-Ogbobula said he was inaugurated as state caretaker chairman by the National Caretaker Committee following the dissolution of all party structures.

He described the development as a new foundation to re-launch the party, and urged the local government chairmen to inaugurate a similar structure at the ward levels.

Abbot-Ogbobula said: “I urge you to abide by the party’s constitution in the discharge of your duty. Be firm and do not perform your duties with favour or prejudice. You are required, directed and mandated to go back to your councils and swear in caretaker committees.

“There is no crisis in APC Rivers State. We are together under the leadership of Rotimi Amaechi. We have disagreements, but we don’t have crisis. We have just one APC in Rivers State and one APC in Nigeria.

“The party will take over the Government House in 2023. The APC will produce the next president of the country come 2023. Igo Aguma is inconsequential. There is no faction in APC…”