Long knives dangle in APC, prime for Rivers rebels, national officers

▪ Party expels Senator, Ex-Deputy Governor, House member
The night of the double-edged long knives has begun in the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the expulsion of Senator Kabiru Marafa, former Deputy Governor Ibrahim Wakkala, and House of Representatives member, Aminu Jaji. from the party by the Zamfara State chapter.
The ruling party is believed to be navigating through a maze of options on how to deal with the ‘recalcitrants’ in Rivers State, where internal squabbles led to a landslide victory for incumbent Nyesom Wike.
The knives are also out in Abuja directed at the jugular of National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, for the party’s loses in some States like Adamawa, Bauchi, Oyo, Imo. Already, one of Oshiomhole’s deputies and other chieftains are precipitating a storm to clip his wings and those of a South-west leader.
Another faction of the party in the State has also pulled out its daggers suspending former Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawali Shuaibu.
In Abuja, the hot exchanges between the party and its former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, moved a notch higher with statements issued Tuesday.
After the South-South group of the party accused Oyegun of laying the landmines his successor, Adams Oshiomhole, inherited which is at the root of crises in State chapters, Oyegun took the battle to Oshiomhole’s doorstep, accusing of creating the party’s woes by always engaging his mouth before his mind.
Marafa, Wakkala and Jaji are believed to have orchestrated the circumstances leading to the loss of the coveted seats of Governor, Senators, Representatives, and Assemblymen in the State to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party through a Supreme Court judgment.
They were expelled for anti-party activities.
Many fear that the expulsion of Marafa, and others may just be another miscalculation because the Senator is reputed as a ‘fighter to the last bus stop’, having fought Senate President Bukola Saraki in the past until he was assuaged with the headship of one of the Senate’s plum committees – Downstream Petroleum Sector.
The expulsion of the party chieftains was contained in a statement issued Monday after a State Executive Committee meeting. The statement was signed by the State’s Publicity Secretary, Shehu Isah, on behalf of the state chairman.
The expulsion of the men has also been communicated to the national office.