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2027 GOVERNORSHIP RACE HOTS UP IN RIVERS STATE: WILL APC Pick TONY OKOCHA AS CANDIDATE?
With the visit of 16 members of the APC National Working Committee NWC led by National Chairman Alhaji Dr.Umar Ganduje that inaugurated new Executive for All Progressives Congress Rivers State Chapter on Friday 13th of December, 2024 all is now set to reposition the party to gather her tatters come 2027 general elections.
Since Chief Tony Okocha took over as the substantive Chairman of the party in Rivers, he has never stopped to announce his intentions which is to use the ballot boxes to oust the incumbent administration of Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Rivers State led by Sir Siminalayi Fubara come 2027.
Just like on November 2023 when he took over as Chairman of 7-man Caretaker Committee of Rivers State, he quickly brought back some members of the party who left due to one reason or the other. Senator Magnus Ngei Abe who defected to Social Democratic Party SDP later returned to APC, Elders of the party like Elder Chidi Wihioka, former Member Federal House of Representatives also returned to APC in Rivers State. Engr Sampson Ngirigabara is one man that is reserved but has grassroot political wisdom especially in his Rivers South East Senatorial District where he hails from.
How did Chief Tony Okocha emerge as the substantive state Chairman of APC despite having a job already as Rivers State Representatives at the 7th Management of Niger Delta Development Commission- NDDC?
It was obvious that he sustained unequivocally in challenging Gov. Siminalayi Fubara’s administration as he restored confidence in APC in the state. He used his position in NDDC like a sitting Governor where he took decisions in allocating contracts to communities in Rivers State. This attracted more people to APC with Chief Tony Okocha holding sway as state Chairman of APC. To the leadership of APC at the national headquarters Abuja no other choice of a political fighter in Rivers State that can wrestle political power from Sir Siminalayi Fubara in 2027 except Chief Tony Okocha. To them, whatever the logic in zoning or the political permutations in 2027, what Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Ganduje and his National Executives want is victory of capturing state power in Rivers State. And Chief Tony Okocha is APC’s strongest a governorship candidate come 2027 governorship election
In 2015 Nyesom Wike played same political script, where he took over from a fellow Ikwerre ethnic group Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi without minding zoning arrangement in the state. In 2019 he used insiders’ politiical bedfellows to weaken oppisition in APC until he succeeded in making sure APC in Rivers State was consumed in internal crises using Supreme Court judgement to remove APC from the ballot box in 2019.
Therefore, Chief Tony Okocha is now the probable governorship aspirant waiting for the lifting of the political Time Table in 2026 begining with Political Party Primary elections for elective positions be it governorship and others.
By then he must have steered the party to an enviable state of stability.
-Emeka Amaefula
