The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has expressed uncertainty regarding the current political status of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Tony Okocha, the state caretaker committee chairman, addressed reporters on Tuesday, July 23, stating that the former Rivers State governor seems to have distanced himself from the party.
Okocha, who previously served as Chief of Staff during Amaechi’s governorship, recounted an incident where Amaechi reprimanded the party’s state secretary for inviting him to a stakeholders’ meeting and instructed that no such invitations be sent to him in the future.
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“I have no question to answer. I was Chief of Staff to Rotimi Amaechi. I recall that at one point he got into law school, and after one year in law school, he became incommunicado. You are also aware that after the presidential primary election, he disappeared into thin air,” Okocha said.
“So whether he is still a party member or not, I wouldn’t know because all the meetings we called—I give you an example of a meeting we called for all the former governors and ministers—he (Amaechi) sent a message to the secretary of the party and warned him never to dare send him a message about the party again.” “So when you meet him, ask him where he belongs. For me, I don’t know where he belongs.” Okocha added,
In response to claims that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has control over the APC in Rivers State, Okocha dismissed the notion. “When I hear this, I laugh because Wike is a member of the PDP, an unrepentant PDP.
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We are APC here. Will anybody suggest that because Mr. Wike is a minister under our government of APC, we should be at daggers with him?”
Okocha clarified, “Wike didn’t attend our meetings. I have briefed you here; we have held meetings of stakeholders, but Wike was never there. So at what point does he influence the APC in Rivers State? His influence, as much as you know, is because he is a minister under an APC government, so we can’t be in enmity with him. But to say that he influences us, how? Does he pay our bills? Or does he attend our meetings? The answer is no.”
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As the political landscape in Rivers State continues to evolve, the APC leadership remains uncertain about Amaechi’s affiliation and influence, while maintaining that Wike’s role as an APC government minister does not translate into control over the party’s state operations.