The brouhaha that greeted All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State Chapter of 2019 Governorship primary election has resurfaced as the duo of Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his former ally, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, are back in the bitter feud over the choice of Governorship candidate for the party.
For Amaechi’s effort to rejuvenate the once ailing political party in the state APC, as he embarks on 23 Local Government tour, his utterances of equity and paradigm shift is loud. He wants the riverine communities to have a shot at the Brick House Port Harcourt, Rivers State seat of political power. Senator Magnus Abe, in his response, had remarked challenged that the wish is a personal opinion of the leader of the party in the state. Since 2018, the party has not hold any legitimate Congress that could ratify any zoning formulae.
It was the same unilateral approach that fragmented APC in Rivers state since 2018. Reconciliation efforts are however, ongoing to bring together a formidable team that would unleash electoral weapons on the incumbent political party in power in Rivers State, PDP, come 2023 general elections.
But Rivers State Gov. Wike’s strategy of bringing into government a large number of women as Vice Chairpersons in each of the 23 LGA in the state has received commendations among political opinion holders. Again, majority of the 319 ward councilors have women taking sizable chunks of the PDP tickets, a move best described as a political masterstroke of inclusion and assurance for a sense of belonging among women. Polling unit has a greater number of women as eligible voters.
–EMEKA AMAEFULA
