Rivers APC says Okocha abroad for treatment, denies rift with Wike
- Rivers APC says its chairman Tony Okocha is receiving medical care abroad after his health worsened.
- The party says he got Nyesom Wike's approval before travelling and denies any rift between them.
- Okocha missed the Rainbow Coalition's unveiling of 2027 candidates, which the party calls a success.
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved to quash talk of a quarrel between its chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The party said Okocha is overseas for medical care after his condition took a turn for the worse, and that his trip was cleared by Wike before he left.
The explanation came in a statement on Saturday signed by the party's publicity secretary, Chibike Ikenga. It followed Okocha's absence from an event where the Rainbow Coalition presented the candidates it is backing for the 2027 general elections.
What the party said
According to the statement, Wike is the national leader of the Rainbow Coalition, and Okocha sought and got his permission before travelling.
Ikenga said there is no disagreement between the two men, and that the chairman will link up with the party's executive and the coalition once he is back from treatment.
"There is NO DISAGREEMENT whatsoever and the Chairman will reunite with the party executive and the Rainbow Coalition upon his return from his medical trip," the statement said.
The party blamed its political opponents for spreading word of a split, saying the aim is to sow confusion within the coalition. It asked members and supporters to ignore such reports.
The APC also said the candidate unveiling went well even though its chairman was not there.
Why it matters
Rivers has been a battleground for control of the APC and for influence over the state's politics, and any sign of friction between Okocha and Wike would be read as a crack in the coalition ahead of 2027.
The party said it remains committed to working with the other parties in the Rainbow Coalition to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu, its governorship candidate Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, and the other candidates the coalition has endorsed.
For now, the party's account is that the chairman's absence is a health matter, not a political one. Okocha has not spoken publicly about his condition, and the party did not say when he is expected back.
What happens next
All eyes will be on Okocha's return and whether he appears alongside Wike and the coalition's candidates. That appearance, or its absence, will be the clearest test of the party's claim that all is well.
