1. The Edo State 2020 governorship election has come and gone leaving behind a reopened memory of the fate of All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state which untill recently has been held to ransom and is still being held to ransom by the primitive high-handedness of a godfather who has consistently shown-off his penchant for destroying collective efforts that defy his dictates.
2. The experience in Edo brings to the fore, the dangers of one man imposing both his will and way on the party to drive a personal agenda against the wishes of the majority, party members and popular interest. Edo 2020 reminds the Rivers APC faithful the blind horse experience of the shameful loss that characterized the 2015 and 2019 general elections which ostensibly destroyed the political ambitions of prospective APC contestants because of the unrighteous and vicious actions of a godfather in Rivers state. In 2015, he dictated and imposed his Will and we failed woefully. Again in 2019, he arbitrarily imposed another of his will and APC was buried alive in Rivers state.
3. It is important to note that all that transpired in Rivers state during both political/electoral calendars particularly in 2019 was because the godfather on record, indisputably vowed that nobody must have an ambition except he so wills . For instance, the same godfather openly threatened that should a particular Aspirant in Rivers state dared contested for the 2019 governorship election, that he the godfather will destroy the APC in Rivers state and today he has brought that to fruition in his own way. Drawing lessons from the plight of APC in Edo 2020, APC Rivers should caution itself that the Will of one man should never be allowed again to circumvent or decimate the aspirations and ambitions of others. Politics today has advanced and must be played consultatively based on constitutional democracy carrying stakeholders and party members along.
4. Just as it was in Edo state where the godfather of the incumbent was seen as the face of APC in the just concluded governorship election whether advertently or inadvertently, so has the godfather, the original problem of APC Rivers state consciously brought his ill-Will to surreptitiously extend his stay in power. This he has done by imposing his appendages on the APC in Rivers state resulting in the avoidable failures of the party serially, successively and back to back in all elections in the state. All in a bid to bring vendetta to those who question and tame his excesses.
Finally, we must rise as one APC in Rivers state to redeem our party under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Igo Aguma, the Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman who has began the process by ensuring that we restore our winning ways because there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Signed:
Livingstone Wechie, Media Adviser to the Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC Rivers state. September 20, 2020
