The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a new dimension, with the court-backed Emeka Beke faction questioning the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, over his leadership style in handling internal conflicts.
At the heart of the crisis are allegations of collaboration and imposition, which have led to a series of court cases and controversies.
During a press briefing on Monday, the party accused Ganduje of adopting a dictatorial leadership style, which has emboldened the Tony Okocha group—described as political hustlers in Rivers State—to disregard court orders.
According to the party spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, the National Chairman’s decision to inaugurate an executive committee in Rivers State, despite a court order restraining him from doing so, demonstrates a clear disregard for the rule of law.
Nwauju, who addressed the media, expressed concern over the National Chairman’s alleged attempts to rewrite the history of the party in the state, particularly regarding the 2015, 2019, and 2023 elections.
He accused Ganduje of trying to erase the memories of APC supporters who lost their lives during the elections and ensuring that justice is not served to the sponsors and perpetrators of the violence.
He stated: “Abdullahi Ganduje, who promised internal democracy for the party on the 3rd of August 2023 after his ratification by NEC, has managed the Rivers State chapter like a workman quarrelling with his tools.
“We are worried that Ganduje is doing everything possible to undermine the very principles of progressivism upon which our party was founded. This is especially concerning given the peculiarities of the Rivers State chapter, where numerous lives were tragically cut short due to their membership in the APC.
“It is sad that there is a conspiracy to delete the memories of all our supporters who unfortunately lost their lives, rewrite the history of the party here in Rivers, and ensure that justice is not served to the sponsors and perpetrators of the barbaric crimes that took place in 2015, 2019, and 2023.”
Nwauju described the National Chairman’s actions as undemocratic, despotic, and unconstitutional, adding that they have emboldened opposition parties to undermine the APC and discouraged investors from considering Nigeria.
In the same vein, Nwauju responded to expulsion threats from Okocha, describing them as “hypocritical and defeatist.”
He questioned the legitimacy of Okocha’s claims, highlighting court judgements that have invalidated the dissolution of party executives in Rivers and Benue States by Ganduje.
He also cited the judgement delivered by Justice Sika Aprioku on August 12, 2024, which recognised his faction as the elected executive of the party in Rivers State, as well as a similar judgement in Benue State on November 28, 2024.
The Beke faction further accused Okocha and his allies of being in contempt of court and impersonating party executives without legal backing.
It should be recalled that Okocha, in a media briefing last Sunday, threatened to expel Beke and his executives for allegedly collaborating with the state governor to embarrass the party and the National Chairman.
However, the Beke faction posed a series of questions, questioning whether the allegations of collaboration with the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to tarnish the party’s reputation were connected to the nullification of Ganduje’s attempted imposition in Benue State.
They also questioned the reasons behind court cases in Enugu, deep divisions within the APC in Bayelsa, Abia, and Kwara, and controversies surrounding the party’s primaries in Edo State.
The Rivers APC spokesperson expressed concern over the party’s fate under Ganduje’s leadership style.
He called on Nigerians to note two “unimpeachable facts”—the judgment delivered by Justice Sika Aprioku of the State High Court on August 12, 2024, in favour of all elected officers of the party in the state, and the nullification of the congresses by another court presided over by Justice Godswill Obomanu.
