By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT—THE crisis rocking the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Rivers State, yesterday, took a new twist with Mr. Uche Okuku insisting he remained the state chairman of the party.

Okuku, who spoke in Port Harcourt called on members of the party to ignore his alleged sack from the party.
Fielding questions from newsmen on why he called on his supporters on April 24 to vote for Governor Chibuike Amaechi, Okuku said it became clear to him that Rivers people did not want his party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, as governor.

According to him, this was evident considering that the party’s governorship candidate failed to deliver his polling unit and ward to the party’s candidates in the National Assembly elections.

Okuku said: “We went into the election with what we called ‘operation deliver your ward’. Abiye did not deliver his ward; it became clear that his people did not want him. I found myself morally bound to urge Rivers people to vote for Amaechi. A greater percentage of Rivers people made it clear that they would vote for Amaechi.”

He said Sekibo made matters worse for the party when he surrounded himself with those he described as ‘unserious characters’, who had no understanding of election matters.

Okuku added that neither Amaechi nor any of his fronts influenced him to announce on radio, April 24, that his supporters should vote for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the governorship and House of Assembly elections.

He said: “The accusation that I was bribed does not hold water because you can only support a man that can win election. I have integrity. My people believe in me, that was why they voted for me in the National Assembly elections.

In the National Assembly elections, I was the only state officer of the party that delivered his ward. Sekibo lost his unit and ward in Okrika.”