Wike: Crisis in APC over ordinary convention shows party lacks internal democracy

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks internal democracy.

Wike said this on Monday during the inauguration of the Orogbum crescent (road) project in the new government reserved area (GRA) phase II, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital.

The national convention of the APC is scheduled to hold on March 26 — after it was postponed from February 26 — but there were ripples within the party over the zoning of its national offices.

President Muhammadu Buhari has now endorsed a zoning formula for the party’s national offices.

However, the crisis in the party took a new twist on Monday after Abubakar Bello, governor of Niger, chaired a meeting of the caretaker committee and said he had been in charge of the affairs of the party “for a while”.

Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor, who is the chairman of the caretaker committee, is said to have “stepped aside” after reported attempts to scuttle plans for the party’s convention.

Speaking on the development within the ruling party, Wike said APC has “failed”.

“No internal democracy because they are not formed to practise democracy. They were only formed to see that they take over power and now they cannot mange it,” the governor was quoted as saying in a statement by Kelvin Ebiri, his spokesman.

“APC has failed. Look at their crisis. It is just ordinary convention that is a problem; ordinary convention that didn’t take us time as opposition party.

“Yet you see what is happening and that’s the kind of people you want to put your hope, faith on. It can’t be possible.

“There is no internal democracy in APC. It is only one man who decides. Mr. President travelled to Kenya, came back on Saturday and ordered that this and that should happen and travelled again yesterday.”

Speaking on his efforts to develop Rivers, the governor said those criticising him have not seen the urban renewal projects of his administration.

“Each time I read comments made by people who have failed, I just laugh at them. People think the only way they can be candidates of their party is when they go to newspapers to say what they don’t have the facts on,” he said.

“Shame! They never knew that we can turn Port Harcourt around this way. They never knew it to be so because they had all the opportunities. They had all the money in life then.

“But with the little that we have, see what we have done in Port Harcourt. I challenge them to be bold to walk around the streets.”