Mass Resignation: Rivers APC Says No Cause For Panic

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured that the recent mass resignation from the party of its leaders will not affect the party’s political fortunes in the state.
Addressing a press conference on the matter, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Senibo Chris Finebone, said though the resignations has created anxious moments for some party stakeholders, they were nothing to worry about as most of those who left had effectively left the party before now.
Among those who recently resigned were two former members of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dawari George and Hon. Chidi Wihioka; a former Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Seminatari and a former Governorship aspirant, Prince Tonye Princewill. While some said they left for personal reasons, others raised the issue of leadership. Princewill for instance said he could not honestly go with the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC.
Finebone said it was good riddance for a lot of the leaders that left because their exit would create room for the party to unite genuinely execute its electoral projects without looking over its shoulders for any sabotage from them.
“To start with,” he said, “we believe that movements of politicians in and out of political parties in Nigeria have become part of the political culture of politicians especially towards the end of every election cycle. It cuts across all political parties.”
He added, “It is very pertinent to state that the persons that resigned belong to two categories. The first is made up of a few persons who either resigned to pursue other interests in life or exercised their right of free association by seeking greener political pastures elsewhere. To these persons, we acknowledge the contributions of some of them to the Party and wish them well in their future endeavours.
“However, it has also come to our notice that a few persons that are loyal to Senator Magnus Abe have also resigned recently. These are individuals who have, for the past couple of years, spoken and acted in every way to destroy the APC in Rivers State. Led by Abe, these persons tried all they could to factionalize our Party in the State. They connived endlessly with the governor of Rivers State and used some elements in the State Judiciary to frustrate and destroy our Party through needless litigations. The culmination of their evil machinations was the exclusion of Rivers APC from the ballot in 2019. Evidence exists how Senator Abe and his lieutenants broke into celebration the day the Party was excluded by the court from participating in that election due to their litigation.”
The APC publicity secretary said Senator Abe and his supporters continued to undermine the fortunes of the party even after the 2019 elections and received support from outside the state. “At a time, they attacked and completely destroyed the then Rivers APC Secretariat at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt. Recently, they also hired hoodlums and attempted to destroy the present Secretariat of the Party.”
Somehow, he added majority of Abe’s supporters openly joined the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State while others returned to the mainstream of the Party.
He said the hype in the resignations of Abe’s supporters was part of an orchestrated plot for the former senator to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on whose platform he planned to run for governor.
“This press conference is essentially to explain to you and the public that Rivers APC considers the formal exit of Abe and his associates from the APC as good riddance. We liken it to a successful excision of a debilitating cancer from the body. Rivers APC can now heave a sigh of relief from the sustained destabilizing onslaught by Senator Abe. We wish him well as he joins the SDP. We pray that he takes everything he exhibited in APC particularly his nuisance value to his new party so that the world would see him for who he truly is.
“We make bold to state without an iota of doubt that Senator Abe and his supporters had, by their actions and utterances, long ceased to be functional members of APC. They shunned and refused to participate in the Membership Revalidation exercise that was carried out nationwide by the Party. They also abstained from other legitimate activities of the Party, making their recent purported resignation a mere formality and part of their face-saving exit strategy aimed at deceiving the public.
“We appreciate your understanding that there is no blanket exit or exodus of well-meaning members of Rivers APC. We believe that you and the public would appreciate that our Party is, by far, better off without Abe and his motley supporters.
“Rivers APC is glad to, once again, emphasize that we were very careful to ensure that the Party conformed to the Electoral Act 2022, Party rules and regulations, and the Nigerian Constitution all through the various congresses and primaries that culminated in the emergence of the governorship Candidate for our dear Party, Arc. Tonye Patrick Cole. Hope you all would agree that he is well-equipped for the task ahead to redeem, recover and turnaround our beloved Rivers State.
“This press conference cannot be complete without using this medium to call on all well-meaning members of APC in Rivers State, particularly the energetic youth who have sacrificed their future and destinies in the past seven years to the sustenance and wellbeing of our dear Party, to see the evolving situation as a clarion call on them to step out and step in to provide the much needed support, direction and energy that will ensure victory for our Party come 2023,” he said.
Finebone used the opportunity to deny social media reports that the leader of APC in Rivers State, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, had left the party. “This is a lie taken from the very abyss of hell,” he said.
“He remains a loyal member of the APC and he has re-iterated this at every opportunity and that he would work to ensure the Party resoundingly wins the 2023 elections.”
Meanwhile, the Governorship candidate of APC in Rivers State in 2015, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has pledged his loyalty to the party in the midst of the resignations.
Peterside, who spoke at an APC stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt, said though he was concerned about the resignations, it was equally important that the rights of those that left the party were respected.
“I am a proud member of APC. I believe in the philosophy and ideals of the party. I am concerned like other party stakeholders in Rivers State about recent developments in APC, Rivers State,” he said.
But he added that the doors of the party remained open for any of those that had left to return, while appealing to members left behind to rally together to rebuild the Party in the State.
“Now that it is evidently inevitable that we have lost some of our comrades to other endevours, it is time we pull together to rebuild the party,” he said.
“Our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has taken a number of steps to steer the party in a more proactive direction. My least expectation is that other leaders rally round him. I am personally committed to this rebuilding process.
“I plan to work with other leaders and stakeholders of the party in Rivers State to start a massive grassroots mobilization program for our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Vice Presidential candidate, His Excellency, Kashim Shettima.”