Eze Chukwuemeka Eze Criticizes Tony Okocha over Comments on Rivers Lawmakers’ Defection

Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), has reacted to Tony Okocha’s recent claim that the 27 embattled Rivers lawmakers never defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Okocha, who was recently removed by a court as Chairman of the Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee, said in an interview in Abuja that he had attempted to recruit the lawmakers into his political structure but they declined.

He added that the legislators were currently at odds with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

“I need to make this clear to everyone. Much as I want to have them in my fold, none of them has agreed to join us. I am the one that should know if they did.

But clearly, they have not,” Okocha said, describing the lawmakers’ actions as a “political gimmick.”

In response, Eze dismissed Okocha’s statement as misleading, asserting that credible media outlets covered the legislators’ official defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

“The public is not surprised that despite overwhelming evidence in the media confirming the defection, Okocha would openly deny it.

His remarks reflect the moral decay plaguing Nigerian politics,” Eze said in a statement made available to the press.

He criticized Okocha’s attempts to downplay the defection as a ruse to shield the lawmakers from the consequences of their actions.

“This level of deceit shows the extent of the damage inflicted on Nigeria’s political system by individuals with no regard for ethics,” Eze lamented.

Eze further alleged that Okocha had previously boasted about manipulating election results and handing them over to electoral officials, yet remains free on the streets of Port Harcourt.

He also referenced a court ruling barring Okocha and his associates from parading themselves as members of the Rivers APC Caretaker Committee, accusing them of continued defiance.

“They keep issuing press statements on the party’s letterhead in complete disregard for the court’s directive,” Eze added.

Eze criticized both Okocha and Chibuike Ikenga for unauthorized use of the APC’s name.

He expressed dismay over Ikenga, the former spokesperson of the caretaker committee, who urged Governor Fubara to reconcile with former Governor Nyesom Wike following a court ruling.

“One wonders where people like Ikenga find the audacity to speak on behalf of the APC despite their removal by the court,” Eze remarked.

He condemned the moral decay in Rivers State politics, arguing that individuals like Wike, Okocha, Ikenga, and the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers would have been barred from public office in a more accountable society.

“Nigeria cannot progress when laws and court rulings are treated with such impunity. In a serious country, Okocha and his group would be cooling off in a correctional facility,” Eze stated.

He concluded by criticizing the culture of lawlessness, saying, “The insolence and blatant disregard for court verdicts, especially from the Wike faction, highlight the challenges of governance in Nigeria.”