The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Emeka Beke, has condemned the 27 lawmakers of the State House of Assembly for denying their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Beke criticized the lawmakers for attempting to distance themselves from their public defection to the APC.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Beke addressed recent statements by Martin Amaewhule, who insisted that he and his colleagues remained loyal members of the PDP.
This came after the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a defection lawsuit against the lawmakers filed by the Action Peoples Party, citing that the suit was not filed within the legal 14-day timeframe.
Beke, who was recently reinstated as the state APC Chairman by Justice Sika Aprioku of the Rivers State High Court, following a ruling that declared the dissolution of his leadership by the party’s National Working Committee invalid, described the lawmakers’ denial as disgraceful.
Beke, a close ally of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, emphasized that their defection to the APC was clear and undeniable.
He said, “I want to put it on record that those 27 members of the House of Assembly are still members of the APC. The law is clear on defection. They cannot run away from the truth because we all know and saw it when they defected to our party.
“They are members of our party and we have accepted them fully as key stakeholders of the APC. It is very obvious, evident and on record that in several fora, Martin Amawgule and 26 others publicly defected from the PDP to the APC.
“And they were hosted in a reception ceremony by Tony Okocha who then claims to be the CTC Chairman of Rivers State APC. The reception was at the Port Harcourt Polo Club and it was open. Therefore they cannot sheepishly make a U-turn in the midnight and yet be celebrated by the same Tony Okocha who they are now denying. What a shame.”
Beke also warned that appropriate disciplinary actions would be taken against the lawmakers loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike after the upcoming October 5, 2024, local government elections, in which the APC is fully participating.
“In our last meeting, we sent out invitations for them (pro-Wike lawmakers) to attend, but they did not. Right now we are talking about local elections and after the local government elections we will take necessary actions concerning them,” he added.
Beke expressed confidence that the APC would participate in the local council elections, confirming that all the party’s candidates had been screened and cleared by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
“As the duly elected Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, I want to put it on record that first, the APC will take part in the forth-coming local government elections on 5th October.
“We are fielding candidates for the various positions in all the 23 LGA’s. Our candidates have been screened and cleared by the RSIEC,” Beke declared.
He also asserted that the court ruling which reinstated him as the state APC Chairman remains valid, as no higher court has overturned the decision, ensuring the party’s full participation in the upcoming elections.
Furthermore, Beke warned Tony Okocha, who had been leading the dissolved Caretaker Committee, to cease acting on behalf of the party.
He instructed his legal team to obtain an arrest warrant if Okocha continued to take actions that falsely portrayed him as a representative of the APC in the state.
“Anybody who claims that he is doing anything I have instructed our lawyers to secure a warrant of arrest because as a party we believe in the rule of law,” Beke said.
Finally, Beke commended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for providing a level playing field for all political parties ahead of the October 5 elections, a rare occurrence in the state’s political history.
“I can tell you clearly that in the history of politics in Rivers State this is the first time we are seeing a Governor who is ready to give a level playing ground for all parties in an election and for Rivers people to elect who they want as chairmen and councilors,” Beke stated.
