In preparation for the Rivers State local government elections scheduled to hold on October 5, 2024, certain Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara have switched to the Action People’s Party.
Following his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike’s alleged hijacking of the state PDP apparatus, there have been suggestions that Fubara may abandon the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in favour of the APP.
Fubara and Wike have been embroiled in a long-standing misunderstanding, which has contributed to the state’s political turmoil.
However, while hosting the PDP Board of Trustees, led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Fubara rejected any defection plans and reiterated his membership in the PDP.
However, council chairmen loyal to Fubara and their followers, who were once members of the PDP, have pitched their tent with the APP.
Furthermore, practically all of the candidates seeking chairperson and councillorship positions in the upcoming LG election are running on the APP platform, even though campaigning has already begun.
A large billboard featuring the current CTC Chairman of Port Harcourt City Council, Ezebunwo Ichemati, has been spotted campaigning for a substantive chairperson position with the APP logo, and his posters can be found all over the city.
Speaking recently, Ichemati pledged to give trustworthy leadership if elected as Port Harcourt City’s substantive chairman.
“We will defend the interests of the party (APP) and the state if elected into office. We will also adhere to the directive to avoid engaging in negative campaigns,“ he stated.
Similarly, Marvin Yobana, CTC Chairman of Khana LGA, and his supporters have formally confirmed their defection to the APP.
Speaking at an event in Khana Local Council on Monday, Yobana, who did not receive the governor’s approval to run in the LG election, said he had switched to the APP.
He said, “I hereby announce that I have moved to APP, and I introduce to you the person that would be sworn in after the October 5 election as the executive chairman of Khana, Mr. Martins Ibibo.”
In the same vein, campaign posters for other announced candidates can be seen throughout the state.
Sunny Wokekoro, Chairman of the Rivers APP, stated during a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday that the party will begin its senatorial campaigns on Tuesday, commencing with the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, which will be held at Bori, the state’s Khana LGA headquarters.
Wokekoro described APP as the party to beat, claiming that the party has arrived to change the narrative in the state.
He stated, “The Action People’s Party, Rivers State branch, invites you today as partners in progress in changing the ugly narrative of governance in our state.
“To inform you of our plans to embark on our campaigns under the guidelines provided by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
“As you are all aware, candidates have emerged and have successfully gone through RSIEC screening. By tomorrow, Tuesday, the 24th of September, our party intends to embark on senatorial campaigns and rallies.”
![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")
