Chief Tony Okocha, former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was on Saturday elected Chairman of the party.
The congress, held despite a court order stopping the party’s congresses in Rivers State, saw Okocha emerge unopposed.
Prior to the election, a Port Harcourt High Court had sacked the Okocha-led Caretaker Committee, describing it as illegal and pronouncing the Emeka Beke-led elected executives as the authentic APC in the state.
Two members of the faction led by Emeka Beke also secured another court order stopping the congresses, but the Okocha group, fully backed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, went ahead to conduct the congresses.
Chief Okocha was chosen as the chairman to lead 28 others as the new executive committee of the party. Saturday’s election was conducted through voice votes, with every position uncontested. Several chieftains of the party were present to witness the exercise.
The congress and election were overseen by a national delegation led by Adoye Omale, with the Rivers State INEC Resident Commissioner, Dr. Johnson Alalibo, also present.
Other notable figures who attended the congress included Zonal Chairman Victor Giadom, former Senators Magnus Abe and Wilson Ake, and former Ambassador Maureen Tamuno.
In his speech after the election, the new chairman vowed that the APC would form the government of Rivers State in 2027, stating that the era of the party not participating in elections in the state was over.
He said he was humbled by the size of the crowd at the state secretariat and their self-sponsorship to the congress, saying:
“Your APC will contest elections unlike before and win all elections this time. Just help us to snatch the governments from local to state. APC is on course.”
He added that Nigeria was on the move, pointing to the Port Harcourt Refinery as an example. He noted that the refinery has been revived and that the Warri and Kaduna refineries would soon follow, highlighting the transformative work President Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party, was doing.
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