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From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Less than 24 hours to the much anticipated March 26 national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the internal crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the party has taken a dramatic twist.
The faction of the party loyal to Senator Magnus Abe has alleged that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has presented names of dead persons and defectors as authentic delegates from the state, for Saturday’s national convention.
In a petition jointly signed by Amaechi’s former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Rivers State, Worgu Boms, Senator Abe and Senator Wilson Ake among others, the faction of the party in the state said it observed the deliberate inclusion of deceased persons on the delegates’ list already submitted for the convention by the Minister.
The faction stated: “We examined the list and found that it was inflated by adding names of deceased persons and persons who were never principal officers in the Rivers State House of Assembly (two categories of invalidity and nullity of delegates) status are attached to over 20 persons on the list in three broad categories of deceased persons, impostors, and persons who are no longer members of the APC.”
According to the petitioners, such names as “Chief D.U. Anucha, Hon. Apollos Amadi, Hon. Martins Mannah, Hon. Andrew Miller and Hon. Felicia Tane” who were included in the list, had since died.
In another category, the petitioners stated that some of the names included on the lists were never in the position ascribed to them by the minister and, therefore, should be regarded as imposters.
“They were so presented so as to bring them into the delegates’ category since being a member of House of Assembly is not. We do not say that they were not in the state legislature on the dates listed against their names. We state that it is not true that they were principal officers as claimed”.
The Abe faction of the party claimed that members like Samuel Oguru, Bob Fredrick, Victoria Nyeche, Collins Ordu, Onari Brown and Ibroma Kitchner were not principal officers in the Rivers State House of Assembly as described by the list.
“Also in that category are Hon. Gift Wokocha, Hon. Lucky Odili and Hon. Ishmael Singer on the delegates’ list in the category of present and past principal officers of the State Assembly.
“Others are Hon. Maureen Tamuno, Hon. Chidiebere Okwu-Worlu, Hon. Belema Okpokiri, Hon. Charles Anyanwu and Hon. John Bazia.”
The petitioners said a letter they got from the Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly denied the claim that the above names were principal officers of the House when they were members.
Also, the petitioners alleged that three persons whose names appeared on the list had since defected to the PDP; hence, are no more members of the APC in Rivers state and wondered why they should be included in the delegates’ list.
“Hon. Fred Igwe, Hon. Aboko Agolia and Senator Osinakachi Ideozu, had since left or were not even members of the APC and, therefore, calls for questions why such names should be found on the list.
The petitioners, however, urged the convention committee to expunge such fake names from the list for the sanctity of the convention and the dignity of the party in particular.
