Senator Magnus Abe’s camp of divided Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm on the listing of dead persons and defectors among delegates from the state accredited for Saturday’s national convention of the party.
In a petition jointly signed by former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Rivers state, Worgu Boms, Sen Abe and Sen Wilson Ake among others, the petitioners described the development as deliberate by those in charge.
However, Rivers APC Chairman, Emeka Beke dismissed any wrongdoing, accusing the Abe camp of unnecessarily seeking media attention.
Abe’s camp had said: “We found out that the list was inflated by adding names of deceased persons and persons who were never principal officers in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Two categories of invalidity and nullity of delegates status are attached to over 20 persons on the list in three broad categories of deceased persons, impostors, and persons who are no longer members of the APC.”
“They were so presented so as to bring them into the delegates’ category since being a member of House of Assembly is not. We do not say they were not in the state legislature on the dates listed against their names. We state that it is not true they were principal officers as claimed.”
“Such names as Chief D.U. Anucha, Hon. Apollos Amadi, Hon Martins Mannah, Hon Andrew Miller and Hon Felicia Tane who are included in the list had since died, yet they were named as delegates for the convention.
“Assembly members like Hon Samuel Oguru, Hon Bob Fredrick, Hon Victoria Nyeche, Hon Collins Ordu, Hon Onari Brown and Hon Ibroma Kitchner were not principal officers in the Rivers state House of Assembly as described by the list.
“Also in that category are Hon Gift Wokocha, Hon Lucky Odili and Hon Ishmael Singer on the delegates’ list in the category of present and past principal officers of the State Assembly. Others are Hon Maureen Tamuno, Hon Chidiebere Okwu-Worlu, Hon Belema Okpokiri, Hon Charles Anyanwu and Hon John Bazia.”
The petitioners said a letter they got from the Clerk of the Rivers state House of Assembly denied the claim that the above names were principal officers of the House when they were members.
“Hon Fred Igwe, Hon Aboko Agolia and Senator Osinakachi Ideozu, had since left or were not even members of the APC and therefore calls for questions why such names should be on the list,” the petitioners further stated, urging the convention committee to expunge such fake names,” they further stated.
Responding to the petition, Emeka Beke, Rivers Chairman of the party said: “It’s a pity that Sen Abe’s style of painting Rivers APC in bad light has not changed. The State EXCO of the APC was only inaugurated on February 7, 2022, and inherited a list of delegates which only required to be updated.
“What would it have taken Abe as a member of the Accreditation Committee to draw the attention of State EXCO to an obvious oversight? Must he and his group of friends always seek media attention?”.
