Rivers APC crisis: Party Chieftains open ‘can of worms’, give roadmap to Akande led committee

Disturbed by the comatose state of the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, some chieftains have written to the committee headed by Chief Bisi Akand, revealing some startling information that led to the crisis.

Excerpts of their letters below:

EZE SUBMITS AND PLEADS WITH THE AKANDE LED APC NRC TO ACCEPT CHIEF, BARR. J.G. YOUNG-ARNEY AN APC STAKEHOLDER’S SUBMISSION ON THE CRISIS OF RS APC

H. E. Chief Bisi Akande The Chairman, Thru: The Secretary, APC National Reconciliation Committee, Committees Secretariat, No. 24 Panama Street, Maitama, Abuja,

Good day Your Excellency,

With all due respect and honour, I hereby submit for the attention and consideration by your revered Committee set up to resolve the lingering crisis within members of our great party the submission of BARR. J. G. YOUNG-ARNEY a respected and concerned stakeholder of Rivers APC.

This submission with the roadmap I earlier sent to your Committee which was duly acknowledged by your Committee will surely go a long way to assist you and members of your Committee on how to handle the sensitive nature of the crisis that was imposed and inflicted by few greedy and selfish party leaders which have done much harm and damage to the party both at the State and National levels.

It is a fact that this is coming a bit late and against the period slated for submission of memoranda in this regard but I implore you to accept it as it throws more light on the crisis that have bedeviled the party and can assist you and your Committee members to unravel the truths behind the crisis in the State chapter of the party.

I sincerely pray that our great God will continue to guide and grant you and members of your Committee the required courage and wisdom on how to handle this sensitive but critical issue that will make or mar our chances of winning the 2023 general elections both at the State and National levels.

Signed: Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze APC Chieftain & former National Publicity Secretary, nPDP 13– 05 – 20

HIS SUBMISSION:

The Chairman,

Thru: The Secretary, APC National Reconciliation Committee, Committees Secretariat, No. 24 Panama Street, Maitama, Abuja,

Dear Sir,

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY CHIEF, BARR. J. G. YOUNG-ARNEY, STAKEHOLDER AND MEMBER OF APC RIVERS STATE TO THE APC NATIONAL RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE

This humble memorandum is from a worthy stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State Chapter. The author is a duly registered member of the party, member of the Imo State Wards/Local Government Congresses Committee 2018 and Rivers State House of Assembly-Screening-Committee 2018. I am also the State Co-ordinator of Buhari Support Group Centre, SouthSouth Co-ordinator of Barristers for Buhari and Osinbajo, and the DirectorGeneral of Progressives’ Advancement League (PAL) all these are powerful grassroots Support Groups of APC. The author is therefore a stakeholder indeed.

This humble memorandum is also for and on behalf of all the aforementioned Support Groups. Numerous opinions and submissions have been expressed on the underlying historical, philosophical, economic, ethnocentric and even ethical causes and bases of the fate that afflicted APC in Rivers State and still is a prognosis.

This memorandum wishes to spare the eminent committee of all that and mainly concentrate on the constitutional aberration that fuels the catastrophe which befell Rivers APC. Somebody may be at unease with the word catastrophe. But then, what else is it where a Government Party at the Federal level with highly motivated mammoth membership at the State level became castrated and only got blazed with impotent raze in a general election.

Such that the posts of Governor, Senators, Representatives and Assembly Members were lost uncontested by that powerful party.

It is a fact that our party the All Progressives Congress has a written constitution. Is it not common-place that the APC Constitution binds all arms and members of the Party? Is the constitution not meant to foster order and discipline in the Party?

Could it be that some members in Rivers State are above the sanctity of the constitution? These rhetorical posers are more of exclamations than interrogations. Kindly refer particularly to Article 21 A ii, iii, v, vi and x of the APC constitution – as amended in 2017.

The above article, clause and paragraphs of the constitution create offences and punishments which include expulsion. It is on record and Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze confirmed it in his memorandum dated 08-03-2020 that in 2014 when APC Governorship ticket was won by Rt. Hon. Dr. Adol Dakuku Peterside, Distinguished Senator Magnus Abe sponsored violent protests in Rivers State and openly threatened the party with sabotage in the general elections of 2015 and their threat was made good.

The above acts of Senator Magnus Abe and his adherents clearly infracted upon the provisions of the APC Constitution. The question is; what disciplinary action did APC take against Senator Magnus Abe and his misguided faithful? Nothing!

Then came the 2018 APC Congresses. Hon. Ojukaye Amachree emerged as the State Chairman and others with him formed the State Executive Committee Local Governments and Wards Executive Committees were also constituted. But what happened? Senator Magnus Abe and his misguided allies impudently constituted parallel Executive Committees at the State, Local Government and Ward levels.

That also offended the APC constitution but what did APC authorities do to the offenders. No sort of disciplinary action was taken against them instead they were treated with kid gloves. Aside from forming parallel Executive Committees, Senator Magnus Abe through his misguided allies took out a suit against APC in Suit No: BHC/78/2018 from the Bori Judicial Division (Senator Abes home High Court) of the Rivers State High Court up to the Supreme Court where the spine of APC got broken and APC could not field any candidate in Rivers State for the 2015 general elections.

In all these, what did APC leadership do with the constitution? Sit down look! An African adage has it that ‘the eye watched her seven children till all of them perished due to wrong doings but the mouth talked her only child into life’.

From what happened to Rivers APC in the 2015 general elections it may be apposite to ask whether APC leaders who are meant to apply the constitution were an eye or a mouth. In disciplinary matters the eye can only watch while the mouth can talk and bring about order.

After the Rivers APC members were inflicted with the excruciating pains for not given the opportunity to take over the Government of Rivers State through the 2015 general elections, the party leadership rescheduled state-wide congresses which gave hope of rejuvenation to party faithfuls.

But the laudable move is scuttled by the High Court case newly instituted by Hon. Igochukwu Aguma. One of the offences created by the APC Constitution is ‘filing an action in a court of law against the party or any of its officers on matters relating to the discharge of the duties without first exhausting all avenues for redress provided for in this constitution.

The action of Hon. Igochukwu Aguma clearly offends this section of the constitution. But what sanction has been meted out to Hon. Aguma. None! Could it be that the leadership is aiding and abetting’ violations of APC constitution in Rivers State or could it be that the party leadership does not care and has no interest in the stability of the party in Rivers State.

Our guess goes on ad infinitum. But it cannot be denied that the National leadership of the party has a reason why the APC constitution safeguards are not applied with regard to Rivers APC affairs. The so-called aggrieved APC stakeholders in Rivers State including Senator Magnus Abe and Hon. Igochukwu Aguma create the impression that they were disenchanted with their erstwhile benefactor the Hon. Minister of Transport.

If that is believable, why did they not sue the Minister of Transport instead of the party. Worse still, party. Worse still, in all their sponsored court actions, the Hon. Minister of Transportation is not made a defendant. Does that not confirm the points made by Chief Eze and others that both Senator Magnus Abe and Hon. Igochukwu Aguma are infected with the virus of serving the interest of PDP.

They and their allies are not genuinely aggrieved but they are on missions against APC- Senator Abe and his group are on a ‘dog in the manger’ mission, while Hon. Igochukwu Aguma is on a mission to destroy APC for PDP to triumph. The reconciliation of they and their misguided allies is desirable and it is hoped that they are reconcilable.

SUGGESTIONS / PRAYERS: Our prayers and suggestions are as follows: The conducts of the arrow-heads of the crisis be appraised and addressed under the disciplinary provisions of the APC constitution. All those who have pending court actions against the party be directed to withdraw such suits forthwith. APC leadership should in the spirit of accommodation show leniency to all remorseful wrong-doers.

Sincere investigation be made into the relationship between the Leader with members of Rivers APC and the National Leadership of APC to ascertain the reasons for the seemingly aiding and abetting posture adopted towards the obvious constitutional offences of Senator Abe and Hon. Aguma with their misguided allies. In all the States, State Leaders were and are held in high esteem and allowed to direct affairs of the Party in their States.

The scenario played out clearly when the immediate past Lagos State Governor was denied the party ticket for the 2019 election because of the party leaders objection to that effect. His Excellency Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi should equally be allowed by the National leadership the free-hand to direct affairs of Rivers APC.

CONCLUSION: The injustices inflicted on APC by Senator Abe and Hon Aguma even if they were genuinely aggrieved with the Honourable Minister of Transportation amounted to throwing away the baby with the bath-water and it is regrettably condemnable. APC is greater than the malfeasant duo with their misguided allies who have now declined to near oblivion in followership.

APC has high hopes. All we need is to give the APC State Leader the honour he deserves so that the party can achieve a healthier and prolific membership in Rivers State. The above suggestions where adhered to will become the tonic for APC to achieve the target of taking over Rivers State come 2023 general elections and onwards .

I wish to say that your job is by no means easy. I pray therefore that the Good Lord grant you the good health, courage and adequate sense of patriotism to achieve resounding success. God bless you all.

Thanks. Yours faithfully, Chief Barr. Jerry G. Young-Arney jgyoungarney@yahoo.com, 08033383268