Leadership Crisis: Abia APC Holds Parallel Congresses
African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Sunday, August 1st, 2021
(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday organised parallel ward congresses in Abia, as leadership crisis continues to rock the party.
The congresses came barely two days after the party re-affirmed the suspension of its chieftain, Chief Ikechi Emenike.
Emenike is the leader of a faction of the party, challenging the Donatus Nwankpa-led Executive Committee (EXCO).
The EXCO at its expanded caucus meeting on Thursday announced Emenike’s suspension for alleged party misconduct.
The development, however, did not deter Emenike’s camp, as it went ahead to conduct its congresses, supervised by the National Ward Congresses Committee.
Briefing newsmen on the situation at the state Secretariat of the party in Umuahia, the Chairman, APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, said the party declared the committee members wanted.
He said the committee members failed to report to the party secretariat in Umuahia upon their arrival in the state.
Nwankpa said the party set up screening and appeal committees for the congress, in line with the party Constitution.
He said that his EXCO had also taken delivery of all congress documents from its national secretariat.
“The party duly took custody of them, signed them and members, who paid to the national account, not state account, were given forms.
“And by the party regulation, after the sale of forms, the state party chairman is to set up a screening and appeal committee on screening.
“Those forms were duly handed over to the two committees at various locations.
“They have come back and we have screened candidates for the congresses.
“Unfortunately for us, the people who are supposed to receive the document from the screening committee did not appear.
“We are not unaware of some clandestine meetings going on among those claiming to be stakeholders,” Nwankpa said.
A chieftain of the party, Sen. Chris Adighije, who expressed disappointment over the development, described the committee members as “impostors”.
“If they had come from our national office in Abuja, I’m sure they would have come to the secretariat of the party in Abia.
“Our communication with the Independent National Electoral Commission is through the same address in Umuahia.
“And the communication with the national headquarters is with the state chairman of the party,” Adighije said.
He said the party followed due process to suspend Emenike, adding that “he stands suspended”.
He expressed happiness over the peaceful conduct of the congress in his ward at Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area (LGA).
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