2023 Polls: Rivers APC Chieftains lambast Wike, gives reason

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed its immediate past governor, Nyesom, for taking credit for the party’s success at the last 2023 presidential polls.

As contained in a statement made available to Legit.ng on Thursday, August 2, the Rivers State chapter of the APC stated that Wike’s recent affiliation with the party was to save his political career.

They also noted that the former minister of state for education deserved no praise for the growth of the party in the state.

According to a statement signed by the state publicity secretary of the APC in Rivers State, Darlington Nwajulu, the chieftains said the formation and growth of the APC in the state took “the efforts of several loyal members, who mostly lost their lives in the struggle to ensure a solid party structure in the state.

The party's statement reads: ”Our growth from 2015 to 2019 was 23.8 per cent, closing the massive gap of 2015 presidential election. Then the 2023 presidential election came in with additional 80,881 votes in favour of the APC in Rivers State.

“The question is, where is the helping hand of former Governor Wike? Can he claim to have helped Rivers APC with only 80,881 votes when our growth showed organic growth since 2019?

“Can a non-party man take over a national ruling party in a state, simply because they claim to have helped the national party in his state with just 80,881 votes when such claims couldn’t be substantiated with empirical data?”

Speaking further in the statement, the party leaders noted that Wike pitched tents with the APC to salvage his political career.

They said: “There is evidence to prove that Wike did not work for the APC. When he found out that his political career was gone, he decided to pitch his tent with APC, just to have a comfort zone to rob the APC in Rivers State.”