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… Amaechi, Abe in ‘Sidon Look’
By Joel Anekwe
The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), like the chameleon, keeps taking on new colours on daily basis and deepening further the situation that has become an albatross round the party’s neck.
A new wave of suspensions has hit the party with members of the state executive committee suspending and replacing two different officers of the party in the space of about 24 hours.
The stage for the suspensions was set by Hon. Igo Aguma, who was less than two weeks ago made the party’s state caretaker committee chairman by a Port Harcourt High Court judgment issued by Justice George Omereji.
Aguma on Sunday afternoon led his team of state executive members to suspend Hon. Victor Giadom, deputy national secretary of the APC who another court just made the acting national chairman of the party following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole, for acts of gross infractions of party constitution.
Giadom’s suspension was announced through a press statement signed by Livingstone Wechie, media adviser to Igo Aguma with the statement saying that the suspension was done by the state executive committee of the party following a recommendation by a Fact Finding Committee.
The fact finding committee recommended that; “that Hon. Victor Giadom be immediately suspended from the party and every party activities for his numerous infractions of the party constitution and conduct, which have brought the party irredeemable disrepute.
“That Hon. Victor Giadom should immediately write a letter of apology to the party and same should be published in three (3) national newspapers”.
The statement added that the committee report “which was presented to our state Executive Committee meeting was accepted and adopted as the position of the APC in Rivers State.
However, 28 out of the 33 members of the same state executive committee told the press that they have suspended Igo Aguma, “pursuant to the powers of discipline given to the State Executive Committee under Article 21 of the constitution of the APC”.
Sen. Andrew Uchendu, who announced the suspension of Aguma said that Dr. Sokonte Davies was selected by majority vote of members to lead “the caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State chapter pending the conduct of fresh congresses to fill the vacant positions in the organs of the party at all levels.
He explained that all actions taken by Aguma purportedly in the name of the Rivers APC did not bind the party, “being actions taken contrary to the provisions of Article 26 of the APC constitution and the judgment in PHC/4355/2019”.
Other resolutions of the committee include: “That henceforth all actions taken by Hon. Igochukwu Aguma in the name of Rivers State chapter of the APC shall not bind the party Hon. Aguma having been suspended.
“That a committee shall be set up to investigate the sundry activities of Hon. Igochukwu Aguma which border on contempt of court and anti-party activities”.
The resolution added that henceforth correspondences meant for the Rivers State APC should be directed to Dr. Sokonte Davies.
Sen. Uchendu explained that Aguma in violent disobedience, disregard and disrespect to the judgment of the Port Harcourt High Court which made him chairman of the caretaker committee, constituted himself into a sole administrator, relegating, abandoning and disregarding majority of the statutory members of the state executive committee and taking critical decisions that affect the party all by himself.
“Hon. Igochukwu Aguma Aguma in disobedience of the judgment which he obtained, called a meeting of the statutory members of the state executive committee on 14th June, 2020 via zoom platform and deliberately refused to give the user identity cards and password Numbers for the meeting to majority of the statutory members of the state executive committee, thereby shutting them out of the meeting
“Even when he managed to send the user ID and password to some persons, he made sure he sent same after the meeting had been concluded,” he stated.
The resolution added; “Hon. Igochukwu Aguma, has by his deliberate actions and inactions festered the crisis in the party rather than take steps to abate same and this has worsened the situation and condition of our great party.
“Without authorization from the statutory members of the state executive committee, Hon. Igochukwu Aguma, has been operating from his private residence, deliberately refusing to operate from the state secretariat of the party and this is against the advice of majority of the statutory members of the state executive committee.
“Without seeking approval of the state executive committee, which approval can only be given by a majority decision at a proper meeting of the statutory members of the state executive committee in accordance with Article 25(F)(xi)(a) of the APC Constitution, 2014 (As Amended), Hon. Igochukwu Aguma filed an action through his proxies (Dele Moses and others) at the High Court of Rivers State against the All Progressives Congress on the basis of which interim order granted by the court he is purporting to have removed Chief Victor Giadom, a Rivers State indigene, from office as a national officer of the party and brazenly purported to have suspended Chief Victor Giadom from being a member of the party. These are powers Igo Aguma does not have.
“Also without the authorization of the statutory members of the state executive committee, Hon. Igochukwu Aguma purportedly nominated Mr. Worgu Boms to replace Chief Victor Giadom as a national officer of the party, which powers again he does not have.
“The zoom meeting of the statutory members of the executive committee called by Hon. Igochukwu Aguma did not have the required quorum under Article 26 of our party’s Constitution and so are not valid and lawful meetings of the party that can reach decisions that would bind the party”.
But in reaction to his suspension, Hon. Aguma has declared that it was of no effect and defunct saying that his suspension and replacement by Sokonte Davies, by the other faction was not unexpected.
In a statement signed by his media adviser, Livingstone Wechie, Aguma debunked all the allegations proffered by Sen. Andrew Uchendu as reason for suspending him.
“It is known fact that prior to this time, the APC in Rivers State had been polarised into various factions and this is not new to the public and party members. The factionization of the APC in the state resulted in the opening up of two factional offices in the state along Aba road in Port Harcourt respectively.
“Upon the assumption of office by the Igo Aguma-led state executive committee of the party, it became important in keeping with our resolve to restore peace and reconciliation in the party to acquire a new office complex that will be neutral to all as using either of the two former factional offices would not promote reconciliation”, Aguma stated.
He added that party members were aware that during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic, meetings of large numbers are held virtually, especially when some of the members are in their fifties saying the party had done that so far.
The statement went further; “The meetings so far held by the APC executive committee in Rivers State were widely publicised and well advertised on national dailies and other media platforms. Also there is a platform where all executive committee members of APC Rivers State are participants and every detail of meetings and relevant matters are always available to all.
“As a party that respects the rule of law and enforces same, it is not strange that when you wield the big stick to discipline any member of our party for any act of indiscipline, reactions of this sort will not be unexpected.
“May I state that the so-called suspension of the chairman of the APC is of no effect and defunct. The chairman Rt. Hon. Igo Aguma denies all allegations in the purported press statements and renews his call for all party men and women to close ranks and join him to restore peace in the party”.
The 28 statutory state executive members who were part of the meeting include:
Hon. Edwin Oludi
Hon Ike Chinwo
Hon Irene Inimgba
Sen Andrew Uchendu
Hon Chidi Lloyd
Hon. Elechi Dike
Hon. Sampson Egop
Hon. Fred Igwe
Hon. James Fuayefika
Hon. Leyi Kwane
Hon. Tonye Longjohn
Hon. Dakuku Peterside
Hon. Alalibo Fredrick
Hon. Dawari George
Hon. Sokonte Davis
Hon. Bob Fredricks
Hon. Asita Honourable
Hon. John Imegi
Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke
Hon. David Okumgba
Dr. Sam Sam Jaja
Chief Victor Giadom
Hon. Promise Abibo
Hon. Elemchukwu James
Hon. Isaiah Elechi
Group Captain Ben-Kalio
Chief Rufus Ada George
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi
Amaechi, Abe in ‘Sidon Look’
But the undercurrent of the whole crisis in the Rivers APC which is now extending to the national is clearly the leadership tussle between the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Sen. Magnus Abe who represented the Rivers State East Senatorial District in the 7th assembly.
The disagreement ensure that the Rivers State APC could not participate in the 2019 general elections shooting themselves in the foot with several litigations that eventually made the courts declare them ineligible to field candidates for the elections.
Up till Tuesday when Amaechi reacted to the latest round of crisis, both gladiators had been silent on the crisis choosing to allow their lieutenants to prosecute the war which from the observed vehemence from both side might likely lead the party to another huge loss in the next political dispensation in 2013.
Amaechi in his reaction did not tell his supporters to sheath their swords nor outlined plans or moves to end the battle and recover political ambition of his followers, he only told them to be peaceful in their approach to the war saying he was a peaceful man.
He said, “First, if you say you’re my supporter, you’ll know that I don’t just respect the law, I fear the law. Breaking the law can put you in jail. Because of the kind of words used in that video, I may have to address it. “I believe that no matter how angry you are, no matter how institutions are manipulated, a judge once said ‘I’m allowed to be wrong, that’s why you have the Court of Appeal, that’s why you have the Supreme Court’.
“So if you think that what the state judiciary is doing is wrong, then you go to the court of appeal, you go to the supreme court and ensure you exhaust the due process. No matter your frustration, you don’t have the right to take the law into your hands.
Asked about the crises in his party at both national and state level, Amaechi said, “What is happening in APC, I don’t know, what is happening in Rivers State, I don’t know. What I’ve done is to keep away from politics, even if I’m bothered, it’ll be internally; there’s nobody there (in the party) who is a child, we’re all adults.
“I don’t want to get involved in the politics. Nigerians know me for being blunt and honest. Some see it as arrogance; some see it as being brash. Whatever it is, what do I need to say that I have not said before? It’s internal dynamics of politics, its internal struggle.
“So, I have said it several times, when we fought in 2015, I said this country cannot continue the way it is going. I’m not helpless, but I’m doing what they call ‘sidon look’. I’m responding to those videos is because they all said they are my supporters, those who made the comment and those who countered them. My message to everyone is to tell everybody who is supporting me to please remain calm and get out of violence.
“Never be part of violence because I will not defend anybody when you get violent. The law will take its course. Whatever is happening, if anything goes wrong in the High Court, you go to the Court Of Appeal, if anything goes wrong in the Court Of Appeal, you go to the Supreme Court, but don’t you ever take the law into your hands, just like my children would never do that. My kids and my brothers know that I’m not a man who will come out to subvert the law. So I will not come and help you, if you’re my brother or my son and you take the law into your hands”.
On his part Sen. Abe is yet to comment on the latest development in the party both at the state or national level but his foot soldiers are very active in the field ensuring that their interest is not being hurt by any means.