When it seemed that the Minister of Transportation and former Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, had been able to squeeze life out of the rebellion against his leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, by other leaders led by Senator Magnus Abe, a new face of rebellion has arisen.
This time, it is led by Chief Tony Okocha, a chieftain of the APC who incidentally served as chief of staff when Amaechi was governor of the state. Okocha took over from another former Amaechi associate now, turned-chief adversary, Nyesom Wike.
Chief Okocha’s rebellion is fired by reports that Amaechi had zoned the governorship 2023 ticket of the party to the riverine area of the state.
It is a decision that has angered Okocha who has told his former boss that he does not have the prerogative to decide the 2023 ticket of the APC.
Okocha, speaking during the inauguration of the Obio/Akpor LGA chapter of a political pressure group, the Rivers Voice of Freedom (RVF), affirmed that no individual can zone the party’s governorship sole ticket to any zone of the region.
“Well, he spoke his mind; he didn’t speak the mind of the party. I don’t think he spoke for the APC. He spoke as an individual,” he said.
“Just like the Southern Governors that want the Presidency to come to the South and people from the North are kicking against it, that is the Honourable Minister’s opinion. It has nothing to do with Rivers people.”
Though Okocha and Amaechi had not always been cozy since they left office, this is the first time that Okocha is forming a parallel structure to challenge his former boss.
After losing the 2016 rerun election for Obio/Akpor federal constituency, Okocha was reported to have faulted Amaechi for the loss.
The renewed internal rebellion is coming after the national leadership of the APC jettisoned the former faction of the party led by Igo Iguma who had sought to form a parallel leadership to that led by Amaechi. The Aguma rebellion came after the struggle for political supremacy between Abe and Amaechi cost the party participation in the 2019 General Election.
