Amaechi’s camp, youth leaders reject APC’s call for emergency rule in Rivers

The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, loyal to the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected calls by the party’s Caretaker Committee on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the state.

PUNCH Online reported that the State APC Caretaker Chairman, Tony Okocha, at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said the political situation in the state has degenerated into a full-blown war, saying Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the police are helpless.

Okocha said only a state of emergency can stop the violence which has resulted in deaths and escalating tensions in the state and restore peace and normalcy, urging the apex government to act fast.

But the factional spokesperson of APC, Darlington Nwauju, said the call for a state of emergency to be declared in the state was mere thinking of a rumour coming by Okocha and not the collective decision of the APC members in the state.

Nwauju said there was no time the leadership of the party or its members meet to take such a decision, saying there are other ways the state can resolve any crisis.

He said, “My attention has been called to an address by persons who are parading themselves as members of the caretaker committee of the APC in Rivers State demanding a state of emergency.

“I wish to quickly inform the public that the APC in Rivers State did not at any point in time hold any meeting amongst its members or consultations amongst its leaders to decide that, at this point in time, the best strategy or formula to nip in the bud the brewing political crisis in Rivers State is to demand a state of emergency.

“There were no such consultations, there were no such meetings, and so it cannot stand as the aggregate opinion of members or the membership of the APC across the 319 wards of Rivers State. So I want to dispel such a rumour, dismiss it as unnecessary as illogical and also unpatriotic.”

While noting that the state must have other means to settle its internal political issues, he said, “Do not forget the fact that given the very strategic role that the state plays in the economy of Nigeria, one must be very careful in making suggestions to possible ways and means to manage its internal challenges.”

The factional APC spokesman added, “We do believe as a political party that peace shall return completely across all the nook and crannies of our dear Rivers State, saying, “So fomenting troubles, causing confusion is not what the state requires at this point in time.”

Similarly, a group, the Rivers State Ethnic Youth Leaders Coalition has rejected the call for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, saying it was a grand plan to destabilize the peace of the state.

The group chairman, Legborsi Yamaabana, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday and sent to newsmen.

He said, “The swift appeal to the presidency for a state of emergency exposes the malicious intent of former Chairmen, Assembly members, and the APC to paralyze governmental operations in Rivers State.

“We want to make it unequivocally clear that their nefarious plans have failed and will continue to fail. We urge them and their cohorts in crisis-mongering to accept the reality that His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, commands deep-rooted love, respect and organic support from the people of Rivers State. No amount of malevolent plotting can alter this fact.

“Every state can have only one Governor at a time, and for Rivers State, that Governor is Sir Siminalayi Fubara. We urge the opposition to accept this and wait for the 2027 elections.”

He further said, “Their repeated attempts to destabilize the state, including the failed kangaroo impeachment process and the attempts to make Rivers State ungovernable, have been thwarted by the resilience of the Rivers people.

“We call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and all Nigerians to disregard Tony Okocha’s inflammatory statements. These are mere attempts by those opposed to peace and progress to disrupt our state.

“If the APC under Okocha believes they have the support of the people, let them wait until 2027. They will then witness the decisive response of the Rivers people.”