Crisis in Rivers APC as exco members suspend chairman, chide Amaechi

Some members of the executive body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers have suspended Emeka Beke, state party chairman, Iheanyichukwu Azubuike, legal adviser, and Darlington Nwauju, publicity secretary, indefinitely.

The state working committee of the party is now said to be led by Omiete Eferebo, deputy chairman, who accused the aforementioned party officials of “anti-party activities and financial misconduct”.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers capital city, Chike Eyinda, a member of the exco who now doubles as acting spokesperson, chided Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, for failing to lead the party to victory in 2015.

Eyinda said Amaechi allegedly criticised Bola Tinubu, president-elect, openly and accused him of ensuring that Yakubu Mahmood, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was reappointed — comments he described as “anti-party”.

“We, the members of the state executive committee, therefore resolve as follows; that Emeka Beke, the chairman of the APC in Rivers state, is hereby suspended indefinitely for anti-party activities, gross misconduct and financial mismanagement pending the outcome of an independent committee of inquiry as may be set up by the party,” he said.

“That until the outcome of the committee of inquiry, Omiete Eferebo, the deputy chairman assumes the office of the acting chairman with immediate effect.

“These leaders have been responsible for the mass exodus of members of the party as well as the failures experienced by the party in the just concluded general elections in the state.

“Instead of being remorseful for what he did to the party, Chibuike Amaechi decided to hinge the blame on our dear president-elect, Bola Tinubu, claiming that he singlehandedly appointed the INEC chairman Yakubu Mahmood.

“We stand before the world today to totally condemn and dissociate ourselves from those statements credited to Chibuike Amaechi and the party chairman, Beke.”

Eyinda said the party’s national working committee (NWC) should set up an inquiry into the allegations leveled against the officials and Amaechi.

Beke has reportedly dismissed the suspension, saying that the exco members do not have such powers.

Meanwhile, Nwauju said the state working committee passed a vote of confidence on Beke on Tuesday.

“The state working committee of the APC in Rivers state has at its emergency meeting today (April 4, 2023 at 6.00hrs) passed a vote of confidence on the state chairman of the party, Emeka Beke, and urged him to sustain, lead and champion the popular demand of our party membership across the 319 wards in Rivers state, that the party’s stolen mandate at the 25th February and 18th March 2023 general election, be recovered through constitutional means at the election petitions tribunal,” he said.