By Amaechi Okonkwo, Port Harcourt
Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi at the weekend met with youths of APC across the 23 LGAs of the state.
The meeting which was held behind closed door came on the heels of the mass defection that has hit the APC of recent with over 8,000 members claimed to had left the opposition party in Rivers State in the past two weeks alone.
According to the Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chris Finebone, the meeting was held at instance of the immediate past governor of the state and was “a closed strategic one and not meant for media coverage”.
Earlier in the week, hundreds of the former APC supporters from Akuku-Toru and Degema Local Government Areas were received in a public ceremony held at the Aba Road Headquarters of the PDP.
The APC had in reaction described as the ceremony inconsequential and worthless defections especially saying it had become the “easiest means to pocket Wike’s money. Such PDP leaders know themselves and need not be named here. Today’s show of shame called defection by the PDP is a classical example”.
“Let it be on record that important APC stakeholders in Asari-Toru LGA have a dossier on the romance between Orolosama Amachree and the PDP in ASALGA over time. This culminated in a meeting they all held with Gov. Nyesom Wike on December 8, 2016 in Government House, Port Harcourt. Subsequently, the APC placed surveillance on Orolosama while APC members in ASALGA distanced themselves from him especially in view of his treacherous behaviour during the December 10 rerun elections”, the APC said of some of the leaders of the defection group.
It is laughable to hear Chief Glory Emeh refer to APC as party of lies and propaganda. In due time, a public presentation of the series of his lies and propaganda against his present master will be made to help the public judge who between APC and Chief Emeh revels more in lies and propaganda.
Meanwhile the PDP is planning a reception for the decampees which the party claimed were now numbering up to 8,0000.
The party in a release signed by Jerry Needam, Special Assistant to the PDP chairman on Media and Publicity, Sunday announcing the planned reception, listed among its biggest catch in the defection spree as the former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s Chief Political Strategist, Chief Emeh Glory Emeh, who it said was leading other chieftains of the APC back to the PDP.
Others are former SA to Amaechi on Internal Revenue, Nwankwo Nwankwo, former Commissioner for Culture under Rotimi Amaechi, Sunny Nwokekoro, APC Leader in ONELGA, Merino Okiraija, former Chairman of Emohua LGA, Bob Okala, and numerous non-indigenes residing in the various LGAs wh