A factional spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, has disowned candidates of the party elected in the just concluded chairmanship and councilorship elections in the South-south state.
Mr Nwauju spoke on Thursday night when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
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PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the APC won a majority of seats in the 30 August local elections in Rivers State, securing 20 out of the 23 councils, while the PDP won in three.
But Mr Nwauju claimed the 20 candidates elected as local council chairpersons under the APC platform are not members of the party.
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“The thing I can say to you now and here is the fact that those persons are not members of the APC,” he said, referring to the 20 elected chairpersons.
The factional spokesperson argued that the elected chairpersons were not “duly nominated by the legitimate” leadership of the APC in Rivers State which has two factions.
Is Wike in charge of the APC in Rivers?
Mr Nwauju, on the TV show, refuted the claim that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is in charge of the APC in the South-south state.
APC or PDP?
Mr Wike is officially a member of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) although he serves in the APC administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The FCT minister has been accused of deliberately sabotaging the PDP to the benefit of the Tinubu administration, but has always maintained that he is a loyal member and benefactor of the PDP.
The former Rivers governor has repeatedly vowed never to leave the PDP, despite serving in the APC administration.
‘Not aware’
Seun Okinbaloye, the programme anchor, asked Mr Nwauju if it was true that Mr Wike was now in charge of the APC in Rivers State.
“I am not aware. What I am aware of is the fact that he is not a member of the APC,” he responded.
The official suggested that the FCT minister had yet to apply to be a member of the APC and cannot be in charge of a party of which he is not a member.
Background
The APC in Rivers State has been battling an intense leadership crisis in the state.
Two factions of the party in the state are laying claim to leadership.
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Tony Okocha leads one faction while Emeka Beke heads another faction of the party where Mr Nwauju belongs.
While Mr Okocha’s faction has the backing of the APC national leadership and Mr Wike, Mr Beke’s faction enjoys the support of a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who is now leading an opposition with a coalition of other politicians against President Bola Tinubu from the African Democratic Congress.
Mr Okocha was elected chairperson of the APC in Rivers State during the party’s congress in November 2024.
But a high court in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, in December 2024, nullified the election of Mr Okocha as APC chairperson.
The judge, Godwin Obomanu, ruled that the congress was held in utter disrespect of a court order issued on 21 November 2024 which ordered that the congress be halted.
