Tony John, Port Harcourt
A factional leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has vowed to submit a list of delegates for the party’s forthcoming national convention.
Briefing newsmen yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Prince Peter Odike, announced himself as the party’s acting chairman in the state, insisting that his group will not recognise the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree-led chairmanship.
Odike said going by the recent High Court judgment in Port Harcourt, which nullified the purported congresses, the Davies Ikanya-led chairmanship remains recognised.
He said Ojukaye’s emergence as chairman of the party in the state, and his recent inauguration by the National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, were in flagrant disobedience to the court order.
Odike said he assumed the acting position because there is no room for administrative vacuum, in line with the party’s constitution, following the indisposition of the chairman, Ikanya, who travelled abroad for medical check-up.
He said: “The APC congress in Rivers State was mired in controversy, culminating in two court orders, which were roundly disobeyed by the Ojukaye faction of the party, led by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
“They, now, claim that Ojukaye Flag-Amachree is the new party chairman, after the said weekend-midnight congress. Our party faithful, who went to court to protest their unlawful exclusion, returned to court to complain of the illegality of holding the congress in defiance of the order of the court. They urged the court to void the obviously illegal exercise and the court did.
“In no uncertain words, the court declared as null and void the purported ward, local government and state congresses, which produced Ojukaye Flag-Amachree and his group. We are the state working committee and executive of the APC in Rivers State.
“Since the court has decided that no congresses had been held with the voiding of the so-called congresses, the Dr. Davies Ikanya-led executive will continue with its work of running the party.”