The All Progressives Congress, APC, has reviewed the constitution of its National Convention Committee as earlier announced.
The Convention is scheduled to hold not later than June 30 in Abuja.
It was reported that the national leadership of APC has made changes to the names from Rivers State. In the reviewed list the party will publish in some Nigerian national dailies this week, the name of Dr. Barinada Mpigi, a Member of the House of Representatives representing the Tai/Eleme/Oyigbo Federal Constituency will be missing. A top APC source told The Neighbour that the decision to replace him with another nominee was reached as soon as the list was first made public.
Giving further insight into how Dr. Mpigi made the list, in the first instance, the source who spoke on condition of confidence disclosed that he was on the list submitted by the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. “Nominations were made by various interests in the party. So, Mpigi was on the list sent by the Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. But some other higher interests kicked against his inclusion. So, the party had to act imediately due to certain evidence before it. The party will publish the list of the committee’s membeship in some dailies this week. His name will not be there.”
The source confirmed that another name has been submitted from Rivers APC as replacement. “We have received another nomination from Rivers State to take his place”, the highly placed source told The Neighbourhood.
Other names from Rivers who are members of the Convention Committee are Senator Andrew Uchendu, Mrs. Maureen Tamuno and Marvin Yobana, a former youth leader.
Rivers APC State Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, declined comments when contacted.
The dropping of the federal lawmaker brings to head-on recent controversies surronding his continued membership of APC. He had been accused of returning to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. During a recent visit to the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, Mpigi, who was elected on APC ticket, praised Governor Nyesom Wike to the Heavens. His supporters had reportedly left the APC to the PDP reportedly acting on the federal lawmaker’s directives. There had been report that Mpigi would be running for the Rivers South East senatorial ticket in 2019 but under PDP.
