Rivers' Orphaned APC Members

After sending an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some youths of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the oil-rich Rivers State embarked on a peaceful demonstration to register their displeasure over their perceived neglect.

The APC members decried what they termed ‘total dismay, shock, a deep sense of abandonment’ and victimization by the same system they had toiled for over the years.

Indeed, their grouse stems from the appointment of cardcarrying members of the PDP from Rivers State into boards, parastatals and agencies to the detriment of APC members.

The letter and demonstration are coming after the obviously rejected APC members lost out in the president’s ministerial appointment, and in the meantime, other key appointments from the state.

From Rivers state, BAT appointed former Governor Nyesom Wike, a PDP chieftain, as FCT minister. Another PDP member, Frank Owhor, was appointed as member representing South-South on the board of the North-East Development Commission. There is also a Boma Iyaye, a PDP chieftain and Wike’s close ally, who was appointed as executive director, Finance and Accounts at the NDDC.

It appears Wike is both a nightmare for the opposition PDP and some members of the ruling APC, especially those from his native Rivers State. Consciously or subconsciously, Wike is a contributing factor to the feeling of orphanhood among the APC members, as it is clear that the party in Rivers has been ditched, hence their demand for reward in the face of an apparent Nyesom Wike take-over. Will BAT listen to them and rescue these political orphans? Let’s see how it goes.