Ministerial Appointment: We Cannot Cede Our Slot To Wike – Rivers APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has vehemently denied ever ceding the ministerial slot of the state to former governor, Nyesom Wike, saying that there was no way the Party would cede its slot to a man to worked so hard to destroy the party in the state.

The Rivers APC which stated this while responding to media reports suggesting it ceded ministerial slot to Wike, declared that such a thought was never discussed at any level or organ of the party, stressing however, that the burden would be on President Bola Tinubu to respect party supremacy by not in any way consider Wike for any appointment.

An APC interest group on the aegis of ‘Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council’, with former Chief of Staff to the Rivers State governor, Mr. Tony Okocha, who is a staunch loyalist of Wike, had said that the Rivers APC has accorded Wike the of first refusal on a choice of ministerial appointee from Rivers State under President Tinubu.

But, in a swift response, the Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Darlington Nwauju, said the Party vehemently dispel the sponsored rumour targeted at packaging the political ambition of former governor Wike.

The Rivers APC spokesman also said that at no time did the party interacted with the Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that was not known to it, adding that there are more than 100 organisations and support groups that worked for the APC in Rivers.

The Rivers’ APC therefore said that it rejected what it described as an “obvious public ridicule and assault on our sensibilities as a political party”.

Nwauju further said; “No NGO or individual outside the officially recognized party structure has the authority of the state chapter of the party to award any entitlement to the former governor who is obviously a card carrying member of the PDP.

“Tony Okocha is not member of our party and we have not received any communication from the national secretariat that he has been granted waivers to join.

“Assuming without conceding that Wike passed through some back channels to fund APC presidential campaigns in Rivers which the state chapter cannot even account for, does his Greek gift now qualify him to be rewarded with ministerial slot?”

The party expressed concerns on why Wike, who sponsored 12 actions in court to stop the APC in Rivers from fielding candidates for the 2023 elections, sealed party offices of his opponents and denied parties access to public facilities for campaigns among other allegations would now turn around to enjoy the ministerial slot of Rivers State under an APC-led federal government.

Nwauju further said; “If we had all died and the party was non-existent in the state, which APC would former Governor Wike have dreamt of benefitting from?

“Mr President is way too experienced as to fall for the disingenuous idea of cutting his nose in order to spite his face. To suggest that the President hands-over ministerial slot meant for Rivers to a PDP ex-Governor is to ask the President to destroy his own party,” he said.