APC Support Groups Raise Alarm Over Rivers Crisis, Urge Tinubu to Protect Party Supremacy

APC Support Groups Raise Alarm Over Rivers Crisis, Urge Tinubu to Protect Party Supremacy

FELICIA OLADELE, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups Council has raised the alarm over the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, warning that the situation poses a serious threat to party unity, grassroots mobilisation and national democratic stability.

The Council, led by its Director-General,  Sadiq Jikta, made the position known on Monday at a press conference in Abuja, where it accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, of actions that it said have continued to fuel tension and undermine constituted authority in the state.

Jikta said the protracted crisis in Rivers State had become a matter of “grave and urgent concern” not only to the APC but to the democratic health of the country, stressing that the developments strike at the core of the party’s discipline and future.

“At the heart of this crisis are the actions and interventions of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, whose conduct has consistently and, in our view, deliberately fuelled tensions, undermining constituted authority,” he said.

The Support Groups Council appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take a firm and unambiguous stand in defence of the APC, warning against what it described as the sacrifice of the party’s stability for the interest of an individual not affiliated with the APC in Rivers State.

“The larger interest of the APC must not be, and cannot be, sacrificed on the altar of an individual who is, by his own chosen affiliation, not a member of our party in Rivers State,” Jikta stated.

He warned that failure to address the crisis could negatively affect the party’s forthcoming nationwide mobilisation campaigns, noting that it would be difficult to preach unity and party loyalty across the country while party authority was being openly challenged in Rivers State.

According to him, the situation in Rivers State has implications beyond the South-South, adding that it threatens the APC’s national preparation and cohesion ahead of future electoral engagements.

Reaffirming the principle of party supremacy, Jikta declared that the APC must not be held hostage to the actions of any individual, regardless of influence or political weight.

“The party is supreme. The APC cannot be held captive to the caprices of any single individual. The display of disrespect towards party authorities and the elected Governor of Rivers State is inimical to everything we stand for,” he said.

The Council condemned what it described as external interference in the affairs of Rivers State and expressed solidarity with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, whom it described as the duly elected and constitutionally recognised leader of the party in the state.

It called on President Tinubu to use his moral and executive authority to restore peace, urged the National Working Committee to strengthen its defence of party structures, and appealed to the Progressive Governors’ Forum to close ranks in solidarity.

“All true party members must rally around His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Protecting him from external interference is synonymous with protecting the party’s flag in Rivers,” Jikta said.

The Council commended the APC National Chairman and other senior party officials for what it described as courageous steps in affirming Governor Fubara’s leadership, noting that such actions were in line with the party’s founding principles.

It warned that it would closely monitor developments in Rivers State, insisting that peace must prevail to allow the governor provide good governance and dividends of democracy to the people.

“The time for neutrality is over. The time to choose between the party and an individual is here. We have chosen the party,” Jikta declared.