On Friday, the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress officially inaugurated the members of the caretaker committee for the Rivers State chapter of the party. The ceremony, held at the APC national headquarters in Abuja around 12:30 pm, saw the presence of the party's National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; Vice Chairman for South-South, Victor Giadom, and other NWC members.

This development occurred two days after the APC NWC dissolved the former state executives, paving the way for the establishment of an ad hoc committee tasked with overseeing the congress to elect new state executive members. The dissolution was formally announced at the party secretariat on Wednesday by the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.

Morka revealed that Chief Tony Okocha had been appointed as the chairman, with Eric Nwibani serving as the secretary of the seven-man caretaker committee. Additional members of the committee comprise Chibuike Ikenga, Stephen Abolo, Silvester Vidin, Senibo Karibi Dan-Jumbo, and Miss Darling Amadi.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, Ganduje addressed the newly sworn-in officers, urging them to ready themselves for the challenging responsibility of reconciling factions and welcoming back members who had previously left the party.

The APC national chairman also urged them to utilize the six-month period to establish a conducive environment for the congress that will usher in leadership at all levels.

He remarked, "Congratulations to the newly sworn-in members of the caretaker committee. I am confident that you are well aware that since 2015, the APC has faced challenges in terms of conflicts, litigations, and counter-litigations, ultimately leading to the loss of our party in Rivers State.

"So, the new NWC has thoroughly examined the issues affecting the party both at the national and individual state levels and has chosen to revitalize the party. Undoubtedly, we have members who have been with the APC since its inception. Some departed from the party, including prominent leaders who contested against us in another political party. Now, they express a desire to return. Those who left to form factions are also willing to reconcile and return."

"Now is an opportune moment to revitalize the party, particularly with the presence of a new state party leadership, and we have confidence in your abilities. As part of our reform initiatives, we have introduced electronic registration for our members, and we urge you to focus on overseeing this electronic registration process.

"We anticipate that you will establish various committees to attract more members to the party. Your primary responsibility is to foster an environment conducive to the conduction of congresses, leading to the emergence of leadership at the local government, state, and senatorial levels.

"We emphasize the importance of conducting these processes without discrimination, as unity is the cornerstone of your mandate."