The Action Peoples Party, APP, has called on Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to run for re-election on its platform in 2027, despite the fact that the governor does not own the party or belong to it.
Sunny Wokekoro, the state APP Chairman, made this statement on Saturday during a solidarity visit to the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by the party’s immediate past leadership, led by Kenneth Atata.
Wokekoro stated that the party plans to issue a statement in conjunction with the state’s local government elections on October 5, stating that it is determined to change the state’s narrative.
While acknowledging that he was a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party, he stated that the PDP is no longer a viable option for any politician who wishes well for the state or country, pointing out that the country’s primary opposition party has lost importance in the grand scheme of things.
Wokekoro said, “I was a founding member of the PDP. I started by being a G-34 coordinator in Port Harcourt. I was a foundation member of that party. With the recent events in the country regarding the party’s administration, that party (PDP) is not supposed to house or to still retain any person who has morals. Any person who has integrity should have left that party by now.
“There is one impression I must have to correct in this gathering: the impression that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a member of this party or that he owns this party. This party has been in existence way back in 2017. It predates any of us who have just joined the party.”
The state chairman emphasised that “no one can claim to be the owner of this party. And the truth remains that, as I speak to you today, Siminalayi Fubara is not a member of our party. However, a good party administrator goes out there looking for the best materials to fill in for elective positions. We are going to do that, not just me, but all of us are going to do that,” adding that “we are going to persuade our governor that, if possible during his re-election, APP should be his platform for that re-election.”
Wokekoro went on to say that Fubara, as well as other well-meaning members of the State and National Houses of Assembly, should join the APP.
He asked party supporters to remain committed to taking the party to new heights in the state and across the country.
In his remarks, the APP National Chairman, Uchenna Nnadi, commended Wokekoro for his contribution in bringing the party to the forefront in the state, saying, I want to commend the new leadership of the Action Peoples Party in Rivers State led by able and amiable chairman, Sunny Wokekoro. Within a short while, you have made us proud, and within a short while, our party is being recognised nationally.”
According to our eyewitness, suspicion was prevalent that Fubara might defect to the APP following the alleged hijacking of the PDP by his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, currently Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The speculation intensified after a section of the APP secretariat along the GRA axis in Port Harcourt was blasted on Monday, August 12, 2023, destroying doors, windows, and other property.
However, Fubara, while hosting the PDP’s Board of Trustees, led by Adolphus Wabara, at Government House in Port Harcourt, denied the rumoured defection and pledged his loyalty to the PDP.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
