Former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, suffered yet another setback, on Wednesday, as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) dissolved the Rivers State executive committees of the party at all levels.
The NWC constituted a caretaker committee made up of loyalists of a former governor of the state and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Though they are of different parties, Amaechi and Wike have been battling for the control of Rivers, with the latter seeming to have things going his way of late.
After contesting the presidential ticket of the APC with him, President Bola Tinubu decided to work with Wike, , a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the election.
The president subsequently made Wike a member of his cabinet.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the NWC meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, said the caretaker committee would be chaired by Chief Tony Okocha, with Chief Eric Nwibani as secretary.
Other members of the Rivers APC caretaker committee to be inaugurated on Friday are Hon. Chibuike Ikenga, Prince Stephen Abolo, Hon. Silvester Vidin, Senibo Karibi Dan-Jumbo and Miss Darling Amadi.
Okocha is an ardent supporter and political ally of Wike.
Okocha recently led a delegation of Wike’s loyalists on a courtesy visit to the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in Abuja, where he accused Amaechi of working against Tinubu in the last election.
He also demanded Tinubu not to appoint Amaechi’s loyalists into various positions in the current government, but that Wike should be reached directly.
Morka explained that the caretaker committee is mandated to conduct a comprehensive and fresh electronic party registration of all members in the state.
“The caretaker committee subject to the directives of the NWC was entrusted with preparing for the conduct of congresses to facilitate the emergence of new executive committees for the party at various levels, extending from the ward to the state,” he added.
The APC spokesman said the caretaker committee has six months to deliver on its mandate.
(Daily Trust)
