Rivers Crisis: APC Behaving Like ‘Kindergarten’, May Lose 2027 Election

A former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANP), Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji, has described the current administration as ‘kindergarten’ and warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC)could lose the 2027 general elections if it fails to deliver on its promises to Nigerians.

‎Ikoawaji also criticised the national leadership of the ruling party for what he termed a “studied silence” over attempts by lawmakers to impeach the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

‎The elder statesman and member of the Rivers State Elders Council said the APC was repeating the errors that led to the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 general elections.

‎Ikoawaji said the wave of defections by governors and prominent politicians into the APC was a sign that the ruling party was losing the confidence of Nigerians.

‎According to him, the PDP adopted a similar strategy shortly before it lost power.

‎“The APC has failed Nigerians in the same way the PDP failed before the 2015 elections. That was when the PDP started wooing governors from other parties because it had lost the confidence of the people. That is exactly what is happening now, ” Ikoawaji told The PUNCH on Friday.

‎Reacting to the latest impeachment threat against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, Ikoawaji said the political crisis in Rivers State was a reflection of a broader failure of leadership at the national level.

‎He faulted the APC leadership for remaining silent while its members allegedly moved against their own governor.

‎He said, “The governor is in the APC. The majority of local government chairmen are in the APC. The majority of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are also in the APC. At the national level, the APC controls the Federal Government.

‎“So what is the APC national secretariat doing? How can a ruling party allow its members to begin impeachment proceedings against their own governor and remain silent? This is not something to laugh about.”

‎While blaming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for his role in the Rivers political crisis, Ikoawaji also criticised Governor Fubara for what he described as signs of weakness.

‎He insisted that Rivers people would not vote for a “kindergarten governor” in the next election.

‎He said, “All these things are part of the FCT minister’s game. But the truth is simple: if you are a governor, you should behave like one. You are answerable to the people who elected you.”

‎‘House Divided Cannot Stand’

‎Recalling his time as Deputy National Chairman of the ANPP, which he described as the leading opposition party during the PDP era, Ikoawaji lamented that many leaders at the apex of the APC lacked a proper understanding of the party’s constitution.

‎He said, “It is unfortunate that many people at the apex of the party do not even understand the party constitution. The Bible says a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

‎’Kindergarten Politicians’

‎The former party chieftain also criticised Wike’s visits to local government areas in Rivers State alongside APC leaders, describing them as premature campaigns carried out without the party’s official symbols.

‎He said, “That tells you that these are kindergarten politicians. The FCT minister is not a member of the APC. He was expelled by his party, the PDP. Yet he goes on grassroots campaigns, and APC leaders follow him.

‎“The Deputy National Chairman of APC, South-South, the state chairman, senators and other APC leaders are there, but there is no APC flag. Instead, you see blue-white-blue, which does not represent APC. And the party leadership is watching.”

‎‘APC Failing Nigerians’

‎Ikoawaji, who said he was a founding member of the APC and a key figure in the ANPP bloc that formed the party, warned that the ruling party was steadily losing its grip on power.

‎He added that the Federal Government’s emphasis on long-term economic benefits had failed to address the immediate suffering of Nigerians.

‎He said, “If the number one citizen is not using public electricity, how do you expect the ordinary man to enjoy it? These failures are the reasons for the problems we are facing today.”

‎The elder statesman concluded by warning that Rivers people would resist what he described as poor leadership choices in the next general elections.

‎Ikoawaji concluded, “Mark my words: in 2027, Rivers State will not support a kindergarten governor.”