… As Ojukaye Amachree’s defiance spurs others
Asita O Asita and the preferred candidate, Tonye Cole hit the ground running. What will happen now that other members of the party are buying forms?
Countless aspirants from the APC who are defying the consensus agenda of the party and hordes of their supporters today stormed the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.
They were there to acquire nomination forms for offices ranging from the Senate to the State House of Assembly.
It is not clear if Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, is facing an internal revolt within his own camp or if he has finally refused to be used by a cabal that some say are trying to use him to impose unpopular candidates on the party.
However, most of the faces spotted at the party secretariat Tuesday were affiliates of some top hands who are aligned to the Minister.
Soon as Pastor Tonye Cole was named consensus candidate by a committee of 19 wise men, there was an uproar in some quarters, and what turned out to be an expression of dissatisfaction, particularly among other governorship aspirants who want to occupy Brick House.
Worgu Boms, a member of the APC said the Rivers people are in search of a candidate who knows their culture and tradition not someone’s business associate.
Ikenda Clinton Elechi, a member of the mainstream group loyal to the Minister of Transportation and Dakuku Peterside said Amaechi had ignored those born on the streets and gone out to hire someone who is literally an outsider.
Ojukaye Flag Amachree declared as soon as the news of the selection got to him that he is not a cry baby.
Apparently, Amaechi’s babies have grown. They are no longer in search of the feeding bottle.
In place of the feeding battle theory is the new fire of dynamism among members who are yearning for internal democracy.
Amachree further pointed the way the other day when he publicly announced that he has obtained the governorship form.
We cannot confirm if other gubernatorial aspirants were part of the enthusiastic crowd of party men and women who assembled at the Secretariat along Woji Road in GRA on Tuesday.
But we have learnt through impeccable sources that some of them who are silent may have already picked their forms from the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja.
“Some of them are already filling theirs forms. It is no longer a question of if they have collected the forms. They have.
“It is a question of when they will return the forms and the feelers that we are getting say they will return them”, a former lawmaker told the Port Harcourt Telegraph in a chat.
Another APC chieftain told this newspaper under conditions of anonymity, “Our party men and women want internal democracy that is real.
“We are not rebelling against our leader. We want him to allow us to exercise the right to choose. This is what everyone wants.
“We are tired of imposition; tired of hearing from those who are close to him say “Oga say”; tired of unnecessary manipulative moves by some people who hang around him (Amaechi).”
Ojukaye Amachree’s defiance and the open rally that he addressed in the Rivers capital may have opened the floodgates of hope and encouraged others who are pained to go for the forms.
The former council chairman and ex – party chairman is believed to have mobilized thousands of supporters from the 23 LGAs to the State capital to hear him declare for the office of governor.
Abe’s resolve to speak truth to power within APC circles is already well known. Like Ojukaye, he is in possession of his own form.
The Senator has insisted that he does not recognize the conceptual agreement that Amaechi and other leaders of the party are selling
Forum Fred, a young undergraduate and social media activist wrote it is now clear Abe is not alone. He said all along there have been other Abes waiting in the wings.
From what we hear, some of the gubernatorial aspirants who have picked forms have gotten supporters to endorse their forms.
An aspirant for one of the legislative seats had told this publication on Monday, “Let us watch and see what will happen tomorrow.”
When ‘tomorrow’ eventually came, party officials at the party secretariat were overwhelmed by the number of party men and women who appear to be saying no to any consensus arrangement.
The Telegraph reports that the atmosphere at the party secretariat was like a market.
Candidates were seen, according to inside sources, obtaining forms from party officials who were also seen confirming evidence of payment and issuing forms.
Outside, their supporters danced and sang as their principals who entered the building to fulfill their mission emerged, smiles on their faces.