National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has announced that the party is determined to capture Rivers State in the next general election after a successful victory in Edo and Ondo States.
Ganduje made the declaration over the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while inaugurating a State Working Committee (SWC) led by Tony Okocha.
The APC boss charged the newly elected state executives of the party to also ensure that, apart upholding internal democracy, there should be moves to bring in new members into the party.
“You are to ensure that there is internal democracy. You are to ensure that there are more entrants into the party. Use your political dexterity to ensure that our party is growing from strength to strength. It is your responsibility to ensure that there is peace and stability.
“You are of the South-South zone; you are aware that during the Buhari administration, we were able to take one state, Cross River. We were able to cross from PDP to APC. And during President Ahmed Bola Tinubu administration, we were able to win squarely Edo State.
“Out of six, we have recovered two. So, since we have started with that, Rivers State is our target. Rivers State, we are here for you. Therefore, to win and bring Rivers State to APC is a task that must be done.”
Also in his acceptance speech, the newly elected chairman of APC in the state, Okocha, assured the national leadership of the party that his team will work towards winning the state for the party in 2027.
Okocha said: “In league with my friends, members of the state executive council of the party and the teeming membership of APC in Rivers State, we assure you that in 2027, the story will be different. APC will take the rostrum there. The man who is the governor today in Rivers State has no party. Our constitution does not allow independent candidacy. APC will take the rostrum, we assure you.”
You may wish to not that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been weakened due to the power tussle between the state governor, Siminialayi Fubara and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyeson Wike over the control of the party structure.
The disagreement led to the defeat suffered by the party in the last local government election as Action Peoples Party (APP) win all but one local government chairmanship seat while the PDP could not secure any.