&w=64&q=75)
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the dissolution of the Rivers State executive committee of the party at all levels.
The decision was disclosed by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, at the end of the NWC meeting in Abuja on the night of Wednesday, November 22, 2023.
Morka said the party has put in place a caretaker committee that would pilot the affairs of the APC in Rivers State until a substantive state congress takes place.
The Rivers APC caretaker committee will be chaired by Chief Tony Okocha, while Chief Eric Nwibani will act as the secretary.
Other members of the committee to be inaugurated this Friday are Hon. Chibuike Ikenga, Prince Stephen Abolo, Hon. Silvester Vidin, Senibo Karibi Dan-Jumbo and Miss Darling Amadi.
The APC National Publicity Secretary explained that the mandate of the caretaker committee includes conducting a comprehensive and fresh electronic party registration of all members in the state.
“The caretaker committee subject to the directives of the NWC was entrusted with preparing for the conduct of congresses to facilitate the emergence of new executive committees for the party at various levels, extending from the ward to the state,” Morka added.
The development spells another setback for former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who is locked in a battle with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for the political control of Rivers State.
Before the 2023 general elections, Amaechi, a former governor of the state, was the de facto leader of the APC in Rivers and muscled his way to produce the party's governorship candidate and candidates for other elective positions.
However, the emergence of Okocha, an ardent supporter and political ally of Wike, as caretaker committee chairman suggests that the former Minister may have lost his grip on the party.
A couple of weeks ago, Okocha led a delegation of Wike's loyalists on a courtesy visit to the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in Abuja, where he alleged that Amaechi worked against President Bola Tinubu in the last election.
He also asked Tinubu not to consider Amaechi’s loyalists for positions in his government, suggesting that everything should go through Wike.
Though of different parties, Amaechi and Wike have had a long-running battle over the control of Rivers, but the latter seemed to have one-upped the former with recent developments.
Recall that Tinubu overlooked the former Transportation minister and appointed Wike, who worked for him during the February 25 election, into his cabinet.