Wike Not a Member of Our Party, Unsure of Amaechi’s Status – APC

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly dismissed claims that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has any sway over the party’s decisions. The APC clarified that Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, is not a member of their party and does not attend their meetings.

Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the Rivers APC caretaker committee, addressed journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday. He emphasized that despite attempts to bring Wike into the APC fold, the minister remains a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“When I hear this, I laugh because Wike is a member of PDP, unrepentant PDP. We are APC here,” Okocha stated. “Wike doesn’t attend our meetings. We have held meetings with stakeholders, but Wike was never there. So at what point does he influence APC in Rivers State? His influence, as much as you know, is because he is a minister under an APC government. So we can’t be in enmity with him. But to say that he influences us, how? Does he pay our bills or attend our meetings? The answer is no.”

Okocha also commented on the status of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, within the party. Amaechi, who ran against President Bola Tinubu in the 2022 presidential primary, has been absent from party activities since then. According to Okocha, Amaechi has instructed the state party secretary not to send him any meeting invitations.

“On the issue of Amaechi, I have no question to answer. I was Chief of Staff to Rotimi Amaechi. Recall that at one point, he got into law school and from that one year became incommunicado. You are also aware that after the presidential primary election, he disappeared into thin air,” Okocha explained. “So on whether he is still a party member or not, I wouldn’t know because in all the meetings we called, he didn’t show up. Let me give you an example of a meeting we called for all former governors and ministers; he sent a message to the secretary of the party and warned him to never dare send him a message about the party again. So when you meet him, ask him where he belongs. As for me, I don’t know where he belongs.”