TheCable

The disagreement between Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, and Magnus Abe, senator representing Rivers south east, has sparked a fresh crisis in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Except the party makes fresh arrangements, congress might not hold in the state as some aggrieved members said to be loyal to Abe vandalised the party’s secretariat located on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt on Friday.

While ransacking offices in the building, the supporters reportedly carted away some materials needed for the congress.

The protesters alleged that the names of delegates for the exercise had been illegally compiled while there was an attempt to shut out supporters of Abe from the congress.

They said forms were not sold to Abe’s candidate, an allegation that Chris Finebone, spokesman of the party, denied.

Responding, Nyesom Wike, governor of the state, wondered why the APC could not put its house in order over “ordinary” congress.

He accused security agencies of lacking professionalism, saying if “they could be could be negatively used during a party congress, Nigerians should expect electoral mischief, masterminded by security agencies in 2019.

“In an ordinary party congress, over a platoon of soldiers and more than 200 F-SARS personnel have been handed over to one man (referring to Amaechi).

“The operatives are to protect just one man, while other people are left without protection.”

On his part, Abe said it would not be reasonable to hold the exercise when a faction of the party has allegedly hijacked the process.

He called on the leadership of the party to intervene.

“Up till now, nobody has heard anything from the officials that will conduct the congresses. None of the stakeholders has been called to any meeting. Those who have paid to get forms don’t know where to go or who to issue them form, but we here some forms have been issued at Intels in Port Harcourt,” he said.

“We would like to appeal to the national secretariat of the party to do something about the situation. Forms have not been given to those who bought forms. They protested when they heard that forms were being distributed at Intels. I think know how you can conduct the exercise under such an atmosphere”

However, Finebone denied any irregularities in the sale of the delegate forms.

Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, Finebone said the delay in the sale of forms to delegates was due to the absence of some national leaders.

He said it was rescheduled to a later time in the day as a result of the delay in the arrival of the delegation charged with monitoring the excercise.