Bruised by growing internal discontent over alleged fiendish moves by their leaders to impose electoral candidates on the party, Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) members say they are ready to recruit their flag-bearers by popular choices.
Before now, candidates in the party emerge by fiat. Such anti-democratic norm has been weakening cohesion in the party thus making critics see it as a party of dictators.
Apparently piqued by the tag, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a media aide to the State Chairman of the party said that APC is bracing for a free and fair primaries.
According to him, ‘’we will provide adequate space for all aspirants who want to fly our flag without any discrimination as we are one virile, vibrant and united family.
‘’People are allowed to aspire to any leadership position in APC without any fear or inhibition. At the appropriate time when the national leadership of the party clears the processes for primaries, we will organise a very free and fair primaries that will embarrass enemies of the party thereby making the innuendo aimed at blackmailing the leadership of the party in the state unnecessary.’’
He said, ‘’we need to caution and counsel party members to be mindful of their choice of words to avoid creating tension and unwarranted bad blood amongst party faithfuls and the general public.’’
Eze who also labels himself as a media consultant to Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, state chair of the APC assured that the party will not in any way allow any form of disconnect.
The party reiterated that in spite of the political hot air in Rivers, “we will not be intimidated or influenced not to ensure power change in the state in 2019.
‘’We know that the strategy of Governor Nyesom Wike is aimed at weakening and destabilising our party to enable him have an easy ride to the Brick House (Government House, Port Harcourt).
‘’But we will like to reassure him that his plots have failed even before it was hatched. We are determined to free Rivers from the shackles of misguided administration and rotate power between the upland and the riverine areas’.