Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has declared that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, is the leader of the party in the state.
Thefrontrank reports that Yilwatda made the assertion on Friday evening during an exclusive interview with the Channels Television’s programme, Hard Copy.
He spoke on the ongoing political developments in Rivers State.
Yilwatda stressed that there is no ambiguity regarding the leadership of the APC in the state.
“Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State; there is no two ways about that,” the APC National Chairman said.
He explained that his comments were limited strictly to members of the APC, noting that he could not speak on individuals who are not part of the party.
When asked about the recent comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on the political developments in Rivers State, Yilwatda replied “We have the list of registered members of APC in Rivers State. I can not comment on an individual who is not a member of my party(APC).”
Wike, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, had on Monday dismissed claims that Fubara has automatically become the leader of the APC in Rivers State following his recent defection to the ruling party.
The FCT Minister who spoke during a media parley in Port Harcourt, insisted that party leadership is determined by grassroots structures at the ward and local government levels, not by the office one occupies.
“There is nothing like ‘001’ in party politics. You register in your ward, and your local government is in your ward. Everybody registers in his ward.
“You could be the first to register, but it does not mean that by becoming governor you automatically become leader of the party,” Wike said.
