By Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis
Tony Okocha, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has called on the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to ignore overtures from loyalists of the former governor, saying they worked against the presidential ambition of President Bola Tinubu.
The APC chieftain made the call when he led a delegation of party chieftains from Rivers State to the APC national headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
His admonition is coming two weeks after Rivers APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, informed Ganduje they were displeased with the manner the president appointed former Governor Nyesom Wike and some card-carrying members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party into his cabinet.
While lamenting that their loyal supporters don’t deserve to be left in the cold, Cole had reassured the APC National Working Committee they are ready for reconciliation, provided the president compensates some of their ‘sons and daughters’ with key positions in his administration.
But Okocha, an ally of Wike, kicked against the move, insisting that their overture smacks of sinister motives.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the APC chieftain said none of Amaechi’s loyalists deserve to be given appointment or attention, following the manner they hijacked the state chapter of the party and worked against the presidential ambition of Tinubu.
He said, “Amaechi with the consent of his chief lieutenants (who visited the chairman a fortnight ago), made a decision to contest the presidential primary election of the APC. In their campaigns, they threw to the dust, every sense of civility and made disparaging and unutterable aspersions against Tinubu. Nigerians saw the dramatic official declaration of Amaechi at the Adokie Amiesimaka stadium in Port Harcourt.
“Flanked by Cole, Dakuku et al, he ran around the stadium to prove fitness and show off Tinubu as physically unfit, frail, and incapable. This was followed by sponsored social media jabs from their media-savvy supporters and some hirelings, who inundated the new media handles with unprintable and unspeakable spews, graphics and concoctions. On one breath, Tinubu was shown on graphics, wearing diapers as one who defecates/urinates on self, as caused by an ailment. On the other, Tinubu was graphically sketched on a medical stretcher as one too old and on a departure lounge. A few of us, who believed in Asiwaju, were carefully isolated and audaciously ostracised from the party. Yet we met them grit to grit.
“By the party guidelines, APC Rivers had 69 delegates. All the delegates were mobilised to Abuja with handouts. All the 69 delegates from Rivers State, emptied their votes into Amaechi’s box. The APC Presidential Primary, which was adjudged as fair and credible, threw up a winner in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Asiwaju now a candidate visited all those who aspired with him, to seek friendship, support and cooperation to move the party forward. Amaechi, the leader of Cole, Dakuku et al, was visited by the candidate himself, not by proxy. Did they accede to the honest request of the candidate? Hell No!
“In Rivers state, hostilities against Asiwaju as candidate of APC mounted even more, unashamedly. No campaign was staged by the party in Rivers state, 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 betrayals.”
Continuing, Okocha urged the APC national chairman to discountenance the ‘machinations of the pretenders’ who are planning to negate the natural law that aptly recommends that one reaps where the one sows.
“Those persons never supported the party nor are they sincere in their hearts, to be happy that President Tinubu made it to the Presidency.
“Mr. Chairman, we summarise that the only group in APC Rivers State legitimate to seek compensation for the victory of APC and Tinubu in Rivers State is the one here,” he said.
While welcoming the delegation, Ganduje cautioned against fuelling the internal party crisis in Rivers at a time when he is seeking reconciliation.
According to him, he was familiar with the genesis of the acrimony and working hard to bring back aggrieved chieftains and members who defected to opposition parties back to the fold.
He said, “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 what we are begging is not to 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.
“There is no doubt River state is a very important state in Nigeria, an oil state and also a reasonable population. Population is an asset for election and is an asset to any political party. So you can see how we can not rubbish the state, Rivers as a state in politics is a very important state. I welcome you and I listen to you with a keen interest.”