Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji, a former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the now-defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANP), has called the current administration “kindergarten” and cautioned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may lose the 2027 general elections if it does not fulfill its commitments to Nigerians.
Ikoawaji also chastised the ruling party’s national leadership for what he described as a “studied silence” regarding legislators’ attempts to remove Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State.
The elder statesman and member of the Rivers State Elders Council claimed that the APC was making the same mistakes that caused the Peoples Democratic Party to lose the general elections in 2015.
The surge of famous politicians and governors defecting to the APC, according to Ikoawaji, was an indication that Nigerians were losing faith in the ruling party.
He claims that the PDP used a similar tactic just before it was overthrown.
Similar to how the PDP failed before to the 2015 elections, the APC has let Nigerians down. The PDP had lost the trust of the populace at that point, therefore it began courting governors from other parties. Ikoawaji told The PUNCH on Friday, “That is exactly what is happening right now.”
In response to the most recent threat of impeachment against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, Ikoawaji claimed that the political turmoil in Rivers State was a manifestation of a larger national leadership failure.
He criticized the APC leadership for keeping quiet while its members reportedly took action against their own governor.
He declared, “The governor belongs to the APC. APC members make up the bulk of local government chairmen. Most members of the Rivers State House of Assembly belong to the APC as well. The Federal Government is under the control of the APC at the national level.
“So, what is the national secretariat of the APC doing? How is it possible for a ruling party to let its members start the impeachment process against their own governor while keeping quiet? You shouldn’t laugh at this.
Ikoawaji blamed Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for his part in the political situation in Rivers, but he also chastised Governor Fubara for what he called weakness.
He was adamant that Rivers residents would not support a “kindergarten governor” in the upcoming elections.
“The FCT minister’s game includes all of these things,” he stated. However, the reality is straightforward: you ought to act like a governor. The people who elected you hold you accountable.
“A House Divided Is Untenable”
Ikoawaji bemoaned the fact that many of the APC’s top officials were ignorant of the party’s constitution, recalling his tenure as Deputy National Chairman of the ANPP, which he referred to as the main opposition party during the PDP era.
“It is regrettable that many people at the top of the party do not even comprehend the party constitution,” he stated. According to the Bible, a house divided against itself cannot survive.
Children’s Politicians
The former party leader also denounced Wike’s trips to Rivers State local government districts with APC leaders, calling them hasty campaigns conducted without the party’s official emblems.
“That indicates that these politicians are in kindergarten,” he remarked. The APC does not have the FCT minister as a member. The PDP, which he belonged to, expelled him. However, he leads APC leaders in grassroots campaigns.
“Senators, the state chairman, the Deputy National Chairman of the APC, South-South, and other APC leaders are present, but the APC flag is absent. APC is not represented by the color blue-white-blue that you see instead. And the leadership of the party is observing.
“Nigerians Who Fail at APC”
Ikoawaji, who claimed to be a founding member of the APC and a pivotal member of the ANPP caucus that established the party, cautioned that the ruling party was gradually losing control.
He continued by saying that the Federal Government’s focus on long-term economic gains has not addressed Nigerians’ acute hardship.
“How do you expect the ordinary man to enjoy public electricity if the top citizen isn’t using it?” he asked. Our current issues are a result of these failures.
The elder statesman warned that in the upcoming general elections, the Rivers people will oppose what he regarded as bad leadership decisions.
“Mark my words: in 2027, Rivers State will not support a kindergarten governor,” Ikoawaji said.
