There are grumblings in some states as All Progressives Congress state chapters resolve on direct, indirect or consensus modes of selecting candidates for the next elections, report our State Correspondents
FOLLOWING All Progressives Congress’ recent resolution to allow its state chapters to decide on the method of choosing its candidates in the forthcoming general elections, there are ripples in most of the states as some of the aspirants have expressed open disagreement with the decision reached by their state’s working committees.
The party’s national leadership had urged the state chapters to choose between, direct, indirect or consensus method of choosing its candidates in the forthcoming primaries.
Our state correspondents report that in some states, some factions have gone ahead to take different decisions, a development that may lead to greater confusion except the party’s national leadership steps in to resolve the issues. For now, the situation has remained a mixed bag.
THE battle-line has been drawn between the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, who is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers and the Southsouth zone; and the lawmaker representing Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, who is a governorship aspirant on APC’s platform.
Amaechi was Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly between 1999 and 2007, then as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Abe was Minority Leader of Rivers Assembly from 1999 to 2003, then as a member of the All Peoples Party (APP), which later became All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Abe was Rivers Commissioner for Information between 2003 and 2007. Shortly after Amaechi became Rivers State Governor on October 26, 2007, following the previous day’s landmark judgment of the Supreme Court, which sacked Sir Celestine Omehia, he (Amaechi) appointed his bosom friend (Abe) as the Secretary to Rivers State Government (SSG). He proceeded to the Senate in 2011.
Senator Abe was APC’s governorship aspirant in 2015, but a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, emerged as the standard bearer of the party for the 2015 poll, with Abe returning to the Senate.
Abe, an indigene of Bera-Ogoni (upland) in Gokana Local Government Area, is again aspiring to be governor on APC’s platform, but Amaechi, the Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajo Reelection Campaign Organisation, prefers APC’s governorship candidate in 2019 to be a riverine person, in the multi-ethnic state, to ensure even development, justice, equity and fairness, considering the fact that Rivers governors since 1999 (Dr. Peter Odili, Sir Celestine Omehia, Amaechi and Nyesom Wike) are all from the upland part.
Stakeholders of the main opposition APC in Rivers, on August 30, during the apex leadership caucus meeting in Lagos, which was attended by most of the governorship aspirants and presided over by transportation minister, before he travelled to China, as part of Federal Government’s delegation, endorsed the co-founder of Sahara Group, Pastor Tonye Cole, as the governorship candidate of APC for the 2019 election.
Cole, an architect, hails from riverine Abonnema-Kalabari, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru LGA and he was born in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on January 11, 1967. He is the son of a former Managing Director of Daily Times, Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, who is also an ex-Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil.
In attendance at the Lagos meeting were some of the governorship aspirants: Cole, a Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG); Peterside, who is the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and hails from coastal Opobo, the seat of Opobo/Nkoro LGA, as well as an oil magnate, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, also an indigene of Abonnema as Cole.
In spite of the endorsement of Cole as the governorship candidate of Rivers APC, Abe, who was not at the Lagos meeting of stakeholders, insisted on participating in the primary election of the party.
Abe said: “I am not aware of any meeting of APC stakeholders in Rivers State that has been held and endorsed anybody. I have not known Tonye Cole to be a member of the party (APC). I will vie for the governorship ticket of APC.”
Abe had earlier opened a parallel secretariat of APC at Waterlines Bus Stop on Aba Road, Port-Harcourt, with a former Rivers Deputy Chairman of the party, Prince Peter Odike, as the Acting Chairman, while a suit was filed at the Rivers High Court in Port-Harcourt by Abe’s allies to challenge APC’s congresses in Rivers, but the duly-elected Chairman of APC in the state, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, maintained that there was no faction in the party in Rivers, stating that Abe’s inaugurated secretariat was his governorship campaign office.
An Abuja High Court 14, Bwari, presided over by Justice A. O. Musa, on September 4, granted an order of perpetual injunction, restraining APC and its National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, from tampering with the mandates of Flag-Amachree-led executive of the party and other elected officials at the ward and local government levels in Rivers State.
In view of the controversy generated by the May 2018 ward, local government and state congresses of the APC in Rivers, the State Chairman of the party, (Flag-Amachree) and members of his executive, approached the Abuja High Court in suit number: FCT/HC/BW/CV/115/2018, seeking perpetual injunction against the APC, its national chairman, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) from tampering with the Rivers executive of the party, until all pending matters regarding the congresses were resolved.
The order of perpetual injunction was to the effect that the officials/delegates elected at the APC’s ward, local government and state congresses in Rivers State on May 19, 20 and 21, 2018 respectively, should not be removed and their elections should not be nullified, while ordering that new congresses must not be conducted in Rivers State by the national leadership of APC.
The court affirmed the validity of the congresses which took place on May 19, 20 and 21, which culminated in the election of Flag-Amachree-led executive committee, with the congresses having been conducted in compliance with the constitution of the APC.
Justice Musa also ordered that both the APC and its national chairman were bound to give effect to the outcomes of the congresses in Rivers State.
The Publicity Secretary of APC in Rivers, Chief Chris Finebone, declared that the party in the state had one authentic executive, led by Flag-Amachree, and a secretariat, with Amaechi, remaining the leader of APC in Rivers and Southsouth zone.
Finebone said: “The implication of the perpetual injunction graciously granted by the Abuja High Court is that all the lies and deceits by the supporters of Senator Magnus Abe have expired forthwith. Every lie has an expiry date, as can be seen in this case.
“The ruling, which has effectively retired a set of baby politicians with overrated ego, is underlining the need to be grateful to God and those whom God has used as vessels to bring about succour and uplift to you. When you bite the hand that feeds you and feels that you are winning, just watch it, because you will pay the price at God’s own time. Many studied history, but never learnt from history.”
Rivers Publicity Secretary of APC also stated that the reality was that a set of individuals had dribbled themselves out of the system and only God Almighty could help them, adding: “That is what inordinate ambition brings.”
Members of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the APC in Rivers, on September 6, adopted indirect primaries for picking candidates of the party for the 2019 General Elections.
The APC stakeholders from across the 23 local government areas of Rivers, at the SEC meeting, which took place at the new state secretariat of the party at 63, Aba Road, Port-Harcourt, suggested the three options: direct, indirect and consensus, in line with APC’s constitution.
The three suggestions were put to vote, with indirect primaries recording 106 votes, consensus with three votes and direct primaries having just one vote.
The SEC meeting, which was presided over by Flag-Amachree, was also attended by other members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party; Senator Andrew Uchendu (Rivers-East); and the Deputy National Secretary of APC, Chief Victor Giadom, an indigene of Bera-Ogoni in Gokana LGA of Rivers State; among other chieftains of the party.
Flag-Amachree said: “Let me sincerely thank you for taking this decision (on indirect primaries). You are aware that at the NEC meeting (of APC in Abuja), it was agreed that each state should adopt its mode of primaries.
“I want to announce to the whole world that members of the Rivers State APC, having sat down and considered all the various options, agreed to go for indirect primaries, based on reasons including insecurity, lack of data base and logistic challenge.”
While also speaking, Uchendu stated that opting for indirect primaries was particularly considering the peculiarity of Rivers State, which he described as insecure, thereby not exposing APC faithful to danger of being killed by opposition politicians and their thugs.
The senator said: “I am a foundation member of PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and APC. I must praise the Rivers State Chairman of APC (Flag-Amachree) for organising this type of platform for us to air our views.
“We will definitely not have a safe venue, at which we will call all our teeming supporters together for direct primaries. We know that the government of Nyesom Wike does not want APC to exist in Rivers State. If we gather at a place for direct primaries, we will be in trouble. We know what Wike and his supporters are capable of doing and what they had done over the years. Opting for direct primaries in Rivers State will be putting the lives of APC faithful at risk.
“It is better we spread out to the various wards and LGAs and conduct indirect primaries. By the time they attack one or two places, I am sure the weakest security will be available to arrest the situation, than mobilising and focusing on just one point.”
The Deputy National Secretary of APC, in his remarks, also alleged that Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, could not be trusted, in view of his desperation to win reelection next year, which he said would never happen.
Giadom said: “As a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC and also from Rivers State, I am back home to participate in taking decision on the primaries of my party. The collective decision of APC members in Rivers State will be respected. That is what the people want. Majority will always have their way, while the minority will have their say. That’s why the decision was democratically taken.
“The NWC of APC does not want to force any state to a particular mode of primary, especially when the constitution of the party is very clear that the states can adopt direct, indirect or consensus. So, it became obvious that we must throw the options to the people. The people have decided that they prefer indirect primaries. We have no option, but to allow the wish of the people to prevail.
“Rivers people, especially members of APC, should pursue the path of peace and come together, to have a united party, so as to enable us to face the members of PDP, who are already jittery, because of the strength of APC in Rivers State.”
The Deputy National Secretary of APC also admonished Nigerians to continue to support the focused administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Odike, on September 7, suddenly described himself as the chairman of APC in Rivers (no longer Acting Chairman) and he signed a notice of meeting, inviting APC stakeholders in Rivers to a State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting on Monday, September 10 at 10 a.m. at the party’s “secretariat” at No. 173, Aba Road, Catholic Mission Estate, Port-Harcourt.
Odike said: “Those to attend are as contained in Article 12.1 and 12.8 of the APC Constitution.”
It was gathered that Abe group’s SEC meeting would adopt direct primaries in electing candidates for 2019 elections in Rivers, in order to spite Amaechi, Flag-Amachree and their loyalists. Observers said this will likely cause confusion.
Abe also declared that Rivers APC would not adopt indirect primaries to elect its candidates.
He said: “Rivers State is one of the states where we cannot have indirect primaries. The entire structure of the party in the state is embroiled in legal controversy with about four or five court cases. So, if you want to do indirect primaries, which particular list of delegates are you going to use and which particular congress?” Indirect primaries breed corruption, through financial inducement of delegates.
“They say where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit. What you call indirect primaries is a situation where known party members meet in a place to elect candidates.
“The known party members are invariably part of a structure that is already organised. So, when people have control of such structure, the entire exercise is predetermined, because they already know who they are going to elect.
“You have to understand that life is dynamic and part of what we promised Nigerians is that we were going to bring change into the country and make it better. Part of the challenge people have with indirect primaries is that the outcome is predetermined.”
The senator also stated that indirect primaries would be very vulnerable to financial inducement, since the delegates would be known.
He said: “In bringing our message for change in Nigeria, there is every need for us to look at these things and improve the processes, as the country grows older and our democracy matures.
“No matter the argument one may have or may not have, I believe that as far as Nigerian democracy is concerned, the days of indirect primaries are fast drawing to a close.”
As things are in Rivers APC, the national leadership of the party must quickly intervene, to prevent an implosion, if members of APC are determined to unseat Wike next year.
