Oshiomhole distances himself and APC leadership from Amaechi's actions in Rivers State

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman Adams Oshiomhole has distanced himself from the decision by transport minister Rotimi Amaechi to back the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate in the Rivers State gubernatorial election.

In Rivers State, the governorship elections remain unresolved after the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) suspended the collation of results there. More than any other state in Nigeria, Rivers witnessed extreme violence during the presidential and governorship elections with ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters, the firing of gunshots and clashes between the military and local communities.

With a re-run to be held, Mr Amaechi, the former Rivers State governor and APC leader in the state has thrown his weight behind the AAC candidate Biokpomabo Awara. Following a court ruling, the APC does not have any governorship candidate in Rivers State, so Mr Amaechi is relying on the AAC to help dislodge the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Of late, the battle has not very messy with the APC and PDP accusing each other of all forms of malpractices. For instance, Mr Awara revealed that Governor Wike offered him N3bn ($8.3m) to abandon his governorship ambition and support the (PDP), while his running mate Akpo Bomba Yeeh, resigned this week, claiming that the APC made him agree to submit to their control if elected.

Mr Yeeh even claimed that Mr Amaechi forced him and Mr Awara to sign post dated resignation letters. Both the APC and the PDOP have denied all of these allegations but the political atmosphere in the state remains charged.

Yesterday, however, Mr Oshiomhole distanced himself from the claims that the party is working in alliance with AAC to win River State. He said that he is unaware of such development, as he and other party members have never discussed or heard anything about it.