Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has faulted the appointment of Mr. Tony Okocha, as the Rivers State Coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard BATS-Vanguard.
In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Chief Eze said appointing a non-member of APC to hold sensitive positions and lead party faithful smacks of manifest recklessness and gross insensitivity laced with deliberate ill-will on the part of some individuals who are hellbent on usurping the party’s leadership in Rivers State in the pursuit of their selfish private vendetta.
He described the appointment as embarrassing to the collective sensibility of committed party members in Rivers state.
“Recognizing a critic and archenemy of the party to coordinate an APC affairs in the State is not only an insult but a joke taken too far and therefore unacceptable”, he stated.
Chief Eze stressed that the Rivers APC as a political family has suffered so much in the hands of Tony Okocha and his fellow Colloborators and therefore, it is unimaginable to introduce him into an APC affair in Rivers State.
Eze recalled that Okocha’s last effort at mobilizing his ‘devious’ group was during the last Congress of the party where he allegedly mobilised his group to the APC State Headquarters to disrupt the Congress of the party.
“The party has no business with Tony Okocha, an evil collaborator who colluded with Sen. Abe and others to frustrate the party and ensure that it never participated in the 2019 general elections in Rivers State.
“Apart from all his inimical activities against the party including not participating in the parts revalidation excerise, he never see any good thing in Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who is the Leader of the party in the region. So, appointing such a character to coordinate one of the major activities of the party is not only an insult but to add salt to our injury”, Eze opined.
The party chieftain Urged BATS Leadership to reverse the appointment and revert to state party leadership for recommendations.
” If the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard BATS-Vanguard, is truly serious about seeking the help of the party and her members in Rivers State, it must revert to the party leadership to approve a genuine and creditable member of the party to carry out such crucial and important function”, he said.
It would be recalled that Chief Okocha was appointed the Rivers State Coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard BATS-Vanguard through a letter of introduction dated August 10, 2022, signed by the group’s leader, Prof. David Pam Yakubu and addressed to the State Chairman of APC, Chief Emeka Beke.
The letter further states that, “We therefore solicit your unflinching support for the Chairman and the entire Vanguard in your State towards successfully canvassing for grassroots support for Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 General elections”.
