The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has firmly stated that there is no faction in the Rivers State chapter of the party.
He emphasized that the Chief Tony Okocha-led executive is the authentic leadership of the APC in the state.
This declaration was made during the inauguration of Okocha as the elected APC chairman in Port Harcourt on Friday, alongside other members of the party’s State Working Committee (SWC).
Ganduje also reiterated the APC’s goal for the 2027 general elections, stating that, like the party’s success in Edo State, the APC aims to fly its flag in the Rivers State Government House in 2027.
Speaking at the inauguration, Ganduje stressed the importance of unity and harmony within the party. He remarked, “We decided to inaugurate the executives of the party here so that there is no dichotomy between the national and state leadership of the party. We need to be in harmony, in love with the state. It is very important.”
Addressing the leadership crisis in the state chapter, Ganduje declared, “There is no more faction of APC in Rivers State. The only recognised executive is the committee led by Chief Tony Okocha.”
He also urged the new leadership to work diligently in growing the party by recruiting new members, with a strong focus on taking control of Rivers State in the upcoming 2027 elections.
“As members and leaders, you are bound with the responsibility, according to the constitution of the party, to ensure that you lobby, and use your political desperados to woo people into the party,” Ganduje said.
He emphasized the party’s growing presence in the South-south zone, historically dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noting, “Since we have started this journey, Rivers is our target to reclaim.”
Ganduje concluded his address with a resolute statement: “To win Rivers State to APC, is a task that must be done.”
The event was also attended by the National Legal Officer of the APC, Prof Abdulkareem Kana, who administered the oath of office to Okocha and the newly elected executive members.
Sixteen other top members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) were present at the inauguration ceremony.
In his first speech as the newly sworn-in chairman, Okocha vowed that the APC would claim the state’s government house in the 2027 elections.
He criticized the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, claiming he lacked a political party and may not be eligible to run in the 2027 election.
“The man who is in Rivers State as a governor does not have a party and our constitution does not support an independent candidate,” Okocha stated.
Okocha also called for unity within the party, urging aggrieved members engaged in legal battles over their positions to withdraw their cases and focus on stabilizing the party. “We advise a few of our members playing around the court to come back to the party.
I don’t see the power of the court superior to the party. It is a one-party thing; we need to work together,” he said.
Okocha was elected as the new substantive chairman of the APC in Rivers State on November 30, 2024.
His election followed a consensus vote by delegates from all 23 local government areas during the party’s state congress, held at the APC secretariat on Aba Road in Port Harcourt.
The state chapter had been embroiled in a leadership dispute for nearly a year, with the Emeka Beke-led executive claiming that their tenure had not ended, while Okocha’s faction insisted they were the legitimate leadership.
In August 2024, the Rivers State High Court, under Justice Sika Aprioku, ruled against the Okocha-led executive, ordering that the APC national leadership cease recognizing it.
The court also mandated the national leadership to acknowledge the Beke-led executive. Additionally, an ex parte order from another state High Court in Port Harcourt had restrained the APC and Ganduje from conducting congresses in the state pending the resolution of the leadership dispute in court.
