The party’s State Executive Committee, led by Chike Eyinda, announced their suspension at a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State has suspended the party’s chairman, Chief Emeka Beke, and Legal Adviser, Iheanyichukwu Azubuike, over alleged anti-party activities and financial misconduct.
The party’s State Executive Committee, led by Chike Eyinda, announced their suspension at a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The committee blamed them for the party’s poor performance in the 2023 elections in the state.
Eyinda also knocked former transportation minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for saying the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, who was declared the ‘President-elect’, Bola Tinubu, influenced the choice of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Eyinda said, “We, the members of the State Executive Committee, therefore, resolve as follows: that Chief Emeka Beke, the Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, is hereby suspended indefinitely for anti-party activities, gross misconduct and financial mismanagement pending the outcome of an independent committee of inquiry as may be set up by the party.
“That until the outcome of the committee of inquiry, Mr. Omiete Eferebo, the Deputy Chairman assumes the office of the acting chairman with immediate effect.
“That Mr. Iheanyichukwu Azubuike, the Legal Adviser of the party also stands suspended for anti-party activities and financial mismanagement pending the outcome of the committee of inquiry.
“These leaders have been responsible for the mass exodus of members of the party as well as the failures experienced by the party in the just concluded general elections in the state.
“To demonstrate this, Rt. Hon. Amaechi, who contested and lost the presidential primary to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, in active connivance with the state chairman and the legal adviser, a week to the presidential election, called the leadership of the party to a meeting and directed all the APC members in the state to work for the PDP in the general election.”
Eyinda said the directive given by Amaechi badly affected the fortunes of the APC in the 2023 elections.
He described Amaechi’s statement allegation as an “affront to our President-elect and the highest level of anti-party activity”.
“Also, since the present chairman (Chief Emeka Beke) took over the mantle of leadership of APC in Rivers State, all funds released for the 2023 elections were disbursed by the chairman and his cronies without the consent and approval of any member of the executive working committee as prescribed by the party’s constitution.
“We urgently call on the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to set up an independent panel of inquiry to look into the activities of the above-mentioned leaders with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problems of the party in the state,” Eyinda said.