In what appears to be an attempt to douse tensed political nerves in Rivers State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has debunked reports that there is an internal arrangement within the party to stop Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from seeking a second term in office.
Morka’s comments come amid heightened political tension in Rivers State following the prolonged face-off between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, which has continued to reshape alliances within the state’s political equation.
The spokesman of the ruling party, Mr. Felix Morka, made the clarification on Friday when he appeared on Channels Television.
Though, the push back is coming amid growing speculation over the political structure of the party in Rivers State and the influence of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
He was responding to questions over allegations that Fubara had allegedly been boxed to the corner within the APC and might not be allowed to contest for another term under the party’s umbrella.
When asked whether there was an agreement within the APC to deny Fubara a second-term ticket, Morka said: “Within the APC? I am not aware of that at the APC level. I’m the party spokesman and as far as the party is concerned, the All Progressives Congress, I am not aware of any arrangement in Rivers State.”
The image maker also dismissed suggestions that the party structure in Rivers had been handed over to loyalists of Wike, while original APC members and those aligned with Fubara were allegedly being relegated ahead of the primaries.
When mentioned that some aspirants in Rivers believed individuals aligned with Wike were receiving special treatment in the screening and clearance process, while others feared exclusion from the ballot, Morka described many of the claims as speculative and politically motivated.
“This is the political season and it is the season of a lot of talk – sometimes unfounded, sometimes speculative, sometimes outright false,” he said.
“You can’t stop it. My advice is, look, slow down and let the process work so that at the end of the day, we can have an outcome that is credible, that is acceptable to everybody.”
Morka reiterated that the APC leadership remained in charge of the primary election process across the country, including Rivers State, stressing that governors do not control party primaries.
“The governor is the leader of our party in all the states of Nigeria, not just Rivers State,” he stated.
“However, when it comes to elections, there’s only one authority that has the power to manage our elections and that is the national party leadership. The National Working Committee of the party has the authority to conduct primaries, not the governors.”
“No governor is in control of our primary process. The party is in control of party process”, he added.
The APC spokesman further explained that committees deployed to Rivers State, like those sent to other states, were carrying out their assignments independently and would report directly to the party’s national leadership.
“All of the committees that we have sent to Rivers State, like we’ve sent to all other states in this country, are busy doing their jobs and reporting back to the National Working Committee,” he said.
