Rivers APC Chieftain Backs National Secretary, Insists Only Party Members Can Influence Internal Decisions
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, has expressed support for the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, maintaining that only registered members are entitled to participate in or influence the APC’s internal affairs.
Nwauju made the remarks on Tuesday, noting that recent events had validated the position held by his associates within the party.
He said the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, whom he described as well placed to speak authoritatively on party policy, had clearly stated that non-members of the APC should not attempt to influence or dictate the conduct of the party in Rivers State.
“Today, I am glad that our position has been vindicated by the clear statement from our National Secretary that individuals who are not members of our political party have no business dictating how the APC should be run in Rivers State,” Nwauju said.
He said his faction fully subscribes to the position articulated by the National Secretary, describing it as the appropriate and principled stance for the party at both the state and national levels.
Nwauju maintained that the APC now has a sitting governor in Rivers State and that, in line with the party’s constitution and long-established convention, the governor automatically assumes the position of party leader in the state.
According to him, it would be improper for anyone who is not a member of the APC to seek to influence the party’s relationship with its governor or interfere in its internal management. He argued that such actions run contrary to established party practice and threaten internal cohesion.
“APC now has a sitting governor in our midst and, by the force of our own convention and long-standing practice as a party in Nigeria, the governor automatically becomes the leader of the party in Rivers State,” he said.
“So, there is no basis for a non-APC member to dictate to the party how it should relate with or engage its governor, who is a bona fide member of the APC,” Nwauju said.
He expressed confidence that the APC National Working Committee would align with and formally adopt the position earlier articulated by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, as the official stance of the party on issues concerning Rivers State.
His remarks followed a statement by Basiru, who asserted that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has no authority to вмеш in the internal affairs of the APC in Rivers State.
The APC National Secretary maintained that the former Rivers State governor is not a member of the ruling party and, as such, lacks the locus standi to interfere in its internal affairs.
In response, Wike reportedly cautioned him to steer clear of Rivers State politics.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC last year, weeks after the expiration of his suspension as Rivers State governor.
Wike, who remains a PDP member, currently serves in President Bola Tinubu’s administration. His relationship with Fubara—whom he supported to emerge as governor—has become strained in recent months.
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