The statutory members of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have announced the suspension of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Hon. Igo Aguma.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had a fortnight ago, declared the Caretaker Committee of the APC in the state as illegal and declared Aguma, a former member of the House of Representatives, as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party.
The suspension of the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, came barely 24 hours after the party suspended the Acting National Chairman of APC, Hon. Victor Giadom and announced his replacement at the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party with former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Wogu Boms.
Recalled that another Rivers State High Court had last Friday restrained Giadom from parading himself as either the Acting National Chairman or Deputy National Secretary of APC, insisting that he is no longer a member of the NWC, having resigned in September 2018 to contest for election in Rivers State.
Announcing Aguma’s suspension during a press conference in Port Harcourt, immediate past Senator representing Rivers East district in the National Assembly, Senator Andrew Uchendu, accused the suspended Caretaker Committee Chairman of constituting himself into a Sole Administrator of the party in disobedience to the judgement of the State High Court.
Uchendu said: “Upon obtaining judgment at the High Court of Rivers State in Suit Number PHC/4355/2019, Hon. Igochukwu Aguma in violent disobedience, disregard and disrespect to the said judgment constituted himself into a sole administrator, relegating, abandoning and disregarding majority of the Statutory Members of the State Executive Committee and taking critical decisions that affect the Party all by himself.
“Hon. Igochukwu Aguma, in disobedience of the Judgment which he obtained, called a Meeting of the Statutory members of the State Executive Committee on 14th June, 2020 via zoom platform and deliberately refused to give the user Identity Cards and password Numbers for the Meeting to majority of the Statutory Members of the State Executive Committee, thereby shutting them out of the Meeting.
“Even when he managed to send the user ID and Password to some persons, he made sure he sent same after the Meeting had been concluded. Hon. Igochukwu Aguma, has by his deliberate actions and inactions festered the crisis in the Party rather than take steps to abate same and this has worsened the situation and condition of our great Party.
“Without authorization from the Statutory Members of the State Executive Committee, Hon. Igochukwu Aguma, has been operating from his private residence, deliberately refusing to operate from the State Secretariat of the Party and this is against the advice of Majority of the Statutory Members of the State Executive Committee.
“Hon. Igochukwu Aguma is hereby suspended as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter. This is pursuant to the powers of discipline vested in the State Executive Committee under Article 21 of the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress 2014 (as Amended).”
He announced the setting up of a Caretaker Committee led by former Executive Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Sokonte Davies, to run the affairs of the party in the state.
The Senator said: “Rt. Hon. Sokonte Davies has been selected by majority vote at this meeting to lead the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter pending the conduct of fresh Congresses to fill the vacant positions in the organs of the party at all levels.
“This selection is made with full regard to the comportment, intellectual capacity, party management experience and temperament to manage a political party and her varied tendencies and ranking traditions of Parliament from where the majority of us as statutory members draw our membership of this State Executive Committee as provided for in the APC Constitution 2014 (as Amended).
“We emphasize that the emergence of Hon. Dr. Sokonte Davies as Caretaker Chairman from this meeting is takes full cognisance of the duty before us and, particularly, the ranking elders of the party in the State such as Senator Uchendu; His Excellency, Chief Rufus Ada George, former Governor of Rivers State who is in the United States at the moment and unable to return due to the COVID-19 pandemic; His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and a serving Minister of Transportation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Member of the APC Board of Trustees from Rivers State under Article 32 of the APC Constitution.”
