Factional Rivers APC Suspends Aguma As Caretaker Chairman, Appoints Davies, Rejects Boms As Giadom’s Replacement

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has plunged the party further into crisis as a faction loyal to Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has suspended Igochukwu Aguma as caretaker committee chairman.

Aguma’s suspension came a day after Victor Giadom was suspended from the party by a fact-finding committee set up by Aguma over alleged act of gross infraction of the party’s constitution.

A former senator that represented Rivers East Senatorial District, Andrew Uchendu, who read the resolution on behalf of 28 out of 38 statutory members of the party in the state, said the party was not bound to any decision taken by Aguma, accusing him of festering the current crisis in Rivers APC.

The APC chieftain, loyal to Amaechi, therefore, said that all actions taken by Aguma were contrary to the provisions of Article 26 of the APC’s constitution and the judgment in PHC/4355/2019.

Besides, he announced Sokonte Davies as Aguma’s replacement and rejected the purported swearing in of Worgu Boms as Victor Giadom’s replacement by the party’s national leadership.

He said that a committee would be set up to look into the court contempt and anti-party activities of Aguma who he accused of operating from his private residence instead of the party’s state secretariat, adding that Aguma, after obtaining a judgment at the High Court of Rivers State in suit No. PHC/4355/2019, disregarded the said judgment and constituted himself into a sole administrator, abandoning majority of the statutory members of the state executive committee and taking critical decisions that affect the party all by himself.

He vowed that all decisions taken by Aguma, including the suspension of Giadom would not stand.

Uchendu noted that the Rivers State APC stakeholders desire peace in the party, assuring that they are ready to obey the decision of the court.

He, however, described Boms’ swearing in by the national party executives as baseless, saying, “The swearing is baseless, unacceptable and laughable. We are not party to that. What Aguma is doing is not acceptable. We are democrats and believe in majority.”