…Set To Join Other Parties
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi the immediate past Transportation Minister who was yet to recover from the shock of losing the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into another shock.
This time the shock was coming from his political associates in Rivers State many of whom have left the APC and abandoned him.
First to open the floodgate of resignations is Golden Chioma the factional chairman of the Senator Magnus Abe led APC who alleged that the APC had become a one man property, stressing that “one man employs the governor for the benefit of one man”.
One man was a veiled reference to the former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who is the leader of the APC in Rivers State.
Chioma further stated that he dumped the APC because of the failure of the party to reward hardwork stressing that those who sacrificed their political future for the good of the party had been abandoned while those not worth being mentioned were nominated and given appointment.
Next to dump the APC is Dr. Dawari George, a top chieftain and former Gubernatorial Aspirant of the party who resigned last week Friday.
Hon. Millerye Boma Atiyegoba also resigned citing the happenings in the APC.
Earlier, Celestine Akpobari the APC chairman of Khana Local Government Area and Marvin Yobana another chieftain from the same LGA had dumped the party.
Dr Chigbo Sam-Eligwe former Rivers Assembly member who represented Ahoade West quit the APC few days ago, while Friday Nkee-ee another former lawmaker resigned a day after, saying his support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) is non-negotiable.
Again Tonye Princewill a Kalabari Prince and staunch ally of Amaechi resigned two days ago, citing Tinubu’s choice of Kashim Shettima, a muslim as his vice.
The biggest loss to the APC and Amaechi is Elder Chidi Wihioka the powerhouse of the party in the state who abandoned the party last week because of what he called the high-handedness of one man.
Wihioka one of the political bulldozers of Ikwerre extraction was a top ranking member of the Senator Magnus Abe led APC before his resignation from the party.
Following suit in the gale of resignations is a former Caretaker Committee (CTC) member of the party from Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area, Robinson Elechi who in his resignation letter stated that the “Tide has changed and it’s politically expedient that I take a leap of faith in my political journey”.
While this was yet to die down, Ibim Semenitari one time Commissioner in Rivers State who Amaechi allegedly influenced her appointment as Interim Managing Director of the NDDC, abandoned the APC and her benefactor, Amaechi.
Semenitari, a die-hard supporter of the former Transportation Minister had earlier pitched her tent with Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President who contested the presidential ticket of the APC and lost to Tinubu. Semenitari had allegedly worked for him preparatory to and during the period of his campaigns.
The resignees, who we gathered, were intent on furthering their political career, are said to be mooting the idea of joining either the Labour Party or the SDP, but the decision of which party some of them would finally join, we heard, would be decided by the camp of Abe who currently are marketing their Principal, Abe on their raving platform project SMA.
Besides the alleged political high handedness, it was gathered that some of these Amaechi’s allies were abandoning him because to them, he seemed to have lost political relevance, having failed to secure the APC presidential ticket which should have probably enabled him become president.
“Having resigned as Transportation Minister and lost out in his presidential bid, Amaechi had become an ordinary politician like us and cannot exert any more influences in the political space,” an anonymous political commentator said.
