A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has refuted claims that former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, directed party members to vote against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. Eze responded to statements attributed to a factional leader of the APC in the state, Tony Okocha, whom he accused of engaging in smear politics.
Okocha, along with a delegation, had alleged that Amaechi held a meeting before the election, where he claimed to have made a deal with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. According to Okocha, Amaechi directed APC members to vote for the PDP candidate, Atiku, rather than their own party’s candidate, Bola Tinubu.
However, Eze issued a statement countering these claims, asserting that Okocha’s allegations were fabricated and comprised of deliberate falsehoods intended to tarnish Amaechi’s reputation. Eze emphasized that Okocha was not an APC member during the lead-up to the election and had no insider knowledge of party activities.
Eze also commended the APC’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, for rejecting the claims of individuals he described as mercenaries working on behalf of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. Eze claimed that Okocha and his associates met with Ganduje to seek his endorsement for their campaign of defamation against Amaechi and the mainstream APC state executive in Rivers.
“Okocha and his team were disappointed when Abdullahi Ganduje cautioned them not to heat the polity and allow the leadership of the party at the central work out modalities to calm frayed nerves and resolve every issue affecting the party in the state before delving into constituting another party structure in the state,” he said.
He reiterated that Wike, Okocha, or any member of their circle cannot remove Amaechi from APC.
