The chairman of the sacked Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has claimed that some individuals are planning to seize control of the party in the state in a bid to frustrate President Bola Tinubu’s re-election efforts in 2027.
Naija News reports that the leadership crisis in the APC in Rivers State has escalated following a verdict from the Rivers State High Court, on Monday, sacking the caretaker committee, and reinstating Emeka Beke as the party’s chairman.
However, the APC National Working Committee (NWC), has declared that the Okocha-led Caretaker Committee remains the only recognised leadership of the party in the state.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Okocha criticized the reinstatement of Beke, and accused him of anti-party activities along with one Iheanyichukwu Dike.
He described Beke as a product of political imposition by the former APC leader in the state, Rotimi Amaechi, whom he accused of wanting a “stooge” to lead the party.
He said, “Beke was imposed on the APC in Rivers state. I was a member, an ally of Senator Magnus Abe when he was fighting right inside the APC. The reason why we fought was ineptitude, political high-handedness and imposition. Beke was a product of these three issues but was imposed by the then APC leader, Rotimi Amaechi.”
Okocha further alleged a plan to re-establish Amaechi as the APC leader in Rivers State to oppose President Tinubu in the 2027 elections. He condemned Beke for aligning with Amaechi, whom he accused of working against the party’s interests during the last presidential election.
“There is an intention to throw up Amaechi’s man and then he (Amaechi) becomes the APC leader and then use the APC to fight Mr President in 2027. We will never allow that.
“Beke has shot himself in the leg by also referring to Amaechi as leader of the party in Rivers and the South South. A man who refused to cooperate with President Tinubu then as presidential candidate, a man who worked for the opposition. Amaechi and his group aligned with PDP’s Atiku while Wike and his group from the PDP worked with us.
“After we won the election, Amaechi addressed the Press that Tinubu nominated the INEC Chairman and that the INEC Chairman worked with the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike when he was at TETFUND and Wike was Education minister. That person cannot be leader of the APC.
“He is the same person who warned our secretary to never invite him for any APC meeting. APC Rivers will never go back to the social club status that it used to be,” he stated.