The romance between the political camps of Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara and former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, which became pronounced since the court sacked Tony Okocha as the caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is causing sleepless nights for the loyalists of Barr. Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).
A few days ago, a Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Sika Aprioku, in Port Harcourt, had sacked Okocha and reinstated Emeka Beke as the party chairman, after some party members had approached the court to reinstate the Beke-led executive, which was removed from office by the national leadership of APC.
With undecided court cases, whose outcome could tilt the balance of power in favour of the camps of Wike or Fubara, the removal of Okocha, the choice of the APC at the national level has reduced the power of Wike’s camp.
Before the court ruling, Okocha, a former Chief of Staff to Amaechi, and currently the Rivers State representative at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), had tactically backed the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
On the defection of Amaewhule and 25 other lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, which outcome could lead to their seats being declared vacant, hence consolidate the Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo-led faction of the Assembly, Okocha’s actions had made it difficult to prove that defection.
Although the Court of Appeal nullified the expulsion of Amaewhule and 24 others from the Rivers State House of Assembly, and clarified the issue of jurisdiction, the court has not determined the membership status of the affected lawmakers.
The Court of Appeal, by declaring that it lacked the jurisdiction to decide on the substantive issue, which is whether the lawmakers defected or not, the matter remains pending, awaiting a decision from the Federal High Court.
The reinstated APC chairman, Beke, claims that Amaewhule and others defected to the APC, threatening to sanction them for failing to attend a strategic meeting of the party.
Beke, who spoke in Port Harcourt during a Stakeholders meeting of the party, claimed that the Speaker of the splinter House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule and other 26 of his colleagues are members of the APC.
It would be recalled that a State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Monday, had restored Beke, as the authentic Chairman of the APC in the state, sacking Chief Tony Okocha and other members of the caretaker committee, constituted by the national leadership of the party.
Speaking at a first meeting of the leadership of the party in the state, Beke said Amaewhule and other of his colleagues would face disciplinary action for not attending the all-important meeting of their party, unless they have tangible excuses for their absence.
Beke said: “They cannot sit on the fence. They are members of this party. Whether Tony Okocha received them or I received them myself, they are members of this APC.
“We will find out why they refused to attend this meeting. We will really find out and if there is no cogent reason why they did not attend, we will take disciplinary action against all our members who refused to attend.”
Meanwhile, Okocha has accused Amaechi of plotting to fight President Bola Tinubu in 2027 with the APC, claiming that Beke is a stooge of the former Transportation Minister, vowing that he won’t allow such to happen.
However, Okocha said: “…Imagine how a person of low academic qualifications can preside over a meeting that some of us would attend but the APC leader then said they wanted somebody who had a street boy mentality.
“But the truth was that he wanted a surrogate, a stooge, who would do his bidding. We fought but the APC leader was then a minister and his vestiges were here as leaders of the party.”
