Joel Oladele, Abuja

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje has called for peace amongst the warring factions of the Rivers State chapter of the party.

He made the appeal during a visit of the delegation of the Rivers State APC to his office on Thursday.

Reacting to the earlier remarks of the delegates led by Mr Tony Okocha, the APC National Chairman noted that Rivers is so significant that no political party can underrate it due to its rich human and mineral resources.

“There is no doubt, Rivers State is a very important state in Nigeria, an oil (producing) state and also a reasonably populated state. Population is an asset for elections and is an asset to any political party.

“So, you can see how we cannot rubbish the state, Rivers as a state in politics is a very important state. I welcome you and I listen to you with a keen interest,” he said.

The former Governor of Kano State stated that he’s aware of the crises going on in the state, noting that it is dated back to 2015 due to litigations.

“Coincidentally, some of us are conversant with politics in Rivers state. I think I was chairman of one by-election where we won two senators who later on flew out of the party as a result of singular purpose.

“So, the travail of APC in Rivers started in 2015 when we had a government and lost a government.

“I could recall vividly that the governor said at that time, people should not go out to vote some few hours before voting because he complained of intimidation.

“We said how can a ruling government prevent his people from going out and vote, I said no doubt we have lost this election because whatever you do, if you didn’t go out to vote, then how do you claim that you have won the election?

“That was the beginning of the travail. I don’t want to go into details, because you have mentioned more than the details I know. But in summary, our party in River state is highly fictionalised, that is a fact about it.

“Our party in River state was killed by litigations, that one is a fact,” Ganduje said

Congratulating them for delivering the state for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential elections, the APC chairman said the party National leadership is leaving no stone unturned to unite APC in the state.

“And one important question that you asked and we need to ask is how come we won the presidential election and lost the state election. You said that was a miracle. Yes, if you say a miracle, there must be a messiah.

“So, we have to thank you for the presidential election, we have to not only thank you, we have to congratulate you and what you did is as a result of what we are enjoying now, because without winning a federal election, across many states, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed could not have become the president of this country.

“So, we have to congratulate you for that. But what we are saying, yes, there is confusion in the party, but we don’t want members to over hit the system. We are focused, we are organized, we work scientifically in politics.

“Therefore give us an enabling environment, give us a chance so that we can put a round peg in a round hole, square peg in a square hole, so that we maintain our dignity as a party.

“We have to capitalise on what we have, we have to capitalise on the fact that we have won the national election in Rivers State. We are not expecting anything less again, but give us a chance to see how we can have both the states and the national election together.

“Whatever it is, we have received your address and the party will come in and see how we can get a solid party leadership so that we can move forward. But we are begging, do not overheat the system. Overheating the system, some will go for litigation and then a vicious cycle will come again.

“We don’t want too much analysis because they say too much analysis leads to paralysis. So give us a chance so that we can consult, so that we look at the constitution of APC and then we wait and see how we can put things in order,” Ganduje pleaded.

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the group led by Tony Okocha has called on the National leadership of the party to disregard the other faction of the party, describing them as “bunch of pretenders.”

“Your Excellency, our second mission to you is to express our worries over the recent frolicking between the National Secretariat of APC and some hordes of pretenders, masquerading as members of APC Rivers State.

“These group of persons who we liken as watermelon, with the characteristic feature of presenting ‘green in the outside but red in the inside,’ have long abandoned the APC, are ‘ipso facto’ disqualified from speaking for the APC Rivers in any forum or fora,” Okocha stated.

He blamed the crises on the manner at which the former Governor Rotimi Amaechi managed the party which has led to many of its members dumping it for other parties.

“The ‘nunc dimitis’ of once a robust Party in Rivers State, APC, was composed in 2015, when the then leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi tactlessly rammed his whims and caprices down the throats of the Party and Party members, in the unilateral decision of a Governorship Candidate of the Party for 2023 Gubernatorial Election in Rivers State.

“The bad blood which the self~centred decision generated accounted largely for the very spectacular loss of the State to then opposition PDP.

“Second, nerves of relevant and crucial stakeholders were unapologetically frayed and no rational attempt made to reconcile the tendencies that had become diametrically opposed to each other in exponential manner.

“Not even the woeful/abysmal performance of Party in the General Elections in RIvers State in 2015, invited any iota of circumspection or self introspection. Rather, it became worse. Critical stakeholders who showed aversion how so ever and whatsoever, were disdained, chastised and utterly rejected, for speaking up against tyranny.

“The issues became only irreconciliable, so much so, that the arena shifted to the turf of the Judiciary. Internal party matters travelled back and forth, the hierarchies of the Courts. This was still fashionable so far as the leadership’s interests weren’t in issue.

“The legal brickbats, were so intense and got to a head when APC Rivers State couldn’t present candidates for general election, sequel to a Court judgement.

“So, in 2019, APC Rivers had no one elected under her aegis, into any office whatsoever in Rivers State. The Party became famous only in attending burial ceremonies of members relations, child dedication services, night Parties, etc.

“All attributes and features of a Political Party as that which fields in candidates for Election, contest the election and crave to win, to be able to hold the rims of government and governance was lost.

“Mr. Chairman, these issues are not new to any APC member in Nigeria and diaspora. Let us for the sake of brevity, submit in summary that APC Rivers State qualifies for a Social club, owned by an individual whose powers of influence were elastic.”

Recall that Tony Okocha, who served as the Chief of Staff to Rotimi Amaechi has once accused his former boss of anti-party activities that almost cost the party’s candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his chances at the last presidential election in the state.

According to Okocha, Amaechi abandoned APC in the state to its own fate without galvanising any support or activating a political structure for it.