Emeka Beke, the embattled Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, has appealed the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to reverse the decision of the National Working Committee to dissolve the party leadership in the state.
Beke launched the plea on Thursday in Port Harcourt, claiming that the state executive of the party had not yet expired.
Recall that on Wednesday in Abuja, the Ganduje-led APC NWC ordered the dissolution of the Rivers excos, replacing them with a caretaker committee to oversee the party’s activities in the state for six months.
The head of the caretaker committee, Chief Tony Okocha, is a known associate of former Peoples Democratic Party Governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently in a national coalition with the APC.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Rivers minister Wike of the PDP, ignoring APC members such as Tonye Cole, the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections.
Cole is a supporter of Wike’s primary political rival in Rivers State, ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi.
Announcing the dissolution of the Rivers APC excos on Wednesday in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Mouka, said,
“We have resolved at the NWC meeting that Rivers APC should be dissolved and a caretaker committee put in place.
”The committee will have Chief Tony Okocha as chairman and Eric Nwibani as Secretary.
However, in response to the decision of the party’s national leadership on Thursday, Emeka, the sacked chairman of the Rivers APC, claimed that under the party’s constitution, only the NEC has the authority to dissolve an elected state exco.
He stated,
“What does the constitution of the party say? Only NEC has the moral right. I am surprised the NWC said it has that power. I don’t think there is any time the NEC gave them (NWC) the power to do that. It is so shocking and surprising.”