The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, led by Chief Emeka Beke, has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to urgently convene a stakeholders’ meeting of the party to provide direction following recent clarifications on the party’s leadership in the state.
The call was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Port Harcourt by the APC State Publicity Secretary of the Emeka Beke faction, Mr Dalington Nwauju, and made available to journalists.
Nwauju said the proposed meeting had become necessary now that issues surrounding the leadership of the party in Rivers State had been clarified. He was reacting to comments made by the Presidential Spokesman, Daniel Bwala, during a live television programme on Thursday, in which he stated that President Bola Tinubu recognises every sitting governor as the leader of his party in the state, irrespective of whether the governor belongs to the APC or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Bwala also said the President had warned against any attempt to obstruct Governor Fubara from carrying out his constitutional duties, noting that while Tinubu rewards loyalty, he would not tolerate overbearing conduct.
Reacting to the clarification, Nwauju commended President Tinubu for reaffirming what he described as the party’s constitutional position that governors lead their parties at the state level. He said the President’s stance vindicated the position consistently held by the faction since Governor Fubara aligned with the APC.
He expressed gratitude to the President for adhering to party constitution and convention through his Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, adding that the clarification aligned with the policy direction of the APC national leadership under Prof Nentawe Yilwatda and Senator Ajibola Basiru.
According to him, the reaffirmation justified the Rivers APC’s position on Governor Fubara’s status as leader of the party in the state and should put an end to what he described as false and misleading narratives by political actors. He urged the governor, in his capacity as party leader, to immediately convene a stakeholders’ meeting to chart a clear path for the party going forward.
Nwauju, however, reiterated his earlier demand for the resignation of the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, over comments credited to him on the impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He condemned Morka’s position on the matter, describing it as contradictory to the principles of party membership, and urged him to step down for allegedly failing to protect the party’s organisational objectives. He also reminded the APC National Working Committee of existing court judgments on the Rivers APC leadership and called for the immediate conduct of congresses at the ward, local government and state levels to harmonise contending interests.
The APC in Rivers State is currently divided into two factions, one led by Chief Emeka Beke and the other by Chief Tony Okocha, which is recognised by the party’s national leadership.
