Former presidential aide on prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla, has stated that the alleged warning by Vice President Kashim Shettima to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, concerning the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State is unnecessary.
Naijaonpoint reports that Shettima, while speaking in Enugu on Wednesday, stated that governors are the leaders of the party in their respective states.
Some individuals had interpreted Shettima’s statement as a direct warning to Wike, considering that the Minister had clearly stated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not the leader of the APC in Rivers State.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Post, Obono-Obla said there is no dispute about leadership because, by the party’s arrangements, the governor of a state ruled by the party is automatically the leader of the party.
He said, “Be that as it may, if the Governors assumes such a toga by convention within the Party, then the Vice President is not entirely wrong to make such an assertion. However, directing it to Minister Nyesom Wike may not be appropriate since he is not a member of the APC in Rivers State. ”
Obono-Obla, however, noted that under the APC Constitution, there is no provision that makes Governors elected under the APC the leaders of the Party in their respective states, but that conventionally and impliedly they assume such positions.
He observed that this practice is controversial because some argue that governors exploit the absence of a defined role and its responsibilities to arrogate absolute powers to themselves, which they often use to promote cronyism and godfatherism.
The party stalwart called for clarity within the APC Constitution to prevent the abuse of convention and to ensure that leadership roles are properly defined.