Cross River APC congress a sham - Achigbe
- One of the candidates of the special congress of the APC in Cross River state Mathew Achigbe said the congress lacked the participation of the INEC
- Achigbe said does not have any confidence in the national chairman of the party John Oyegun
- The party member maintained that he had lost confidence in Oyegun because he refused to do the right thing
The special congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River state to elect a chairman last Saturday has continued to generate controversy as one of the candidates Mathew Achigbe has described the exercise as a sham.
Channels TV reports that Achigbe, who made this known in Calabar on Monday, February 26, rejected the outcome of the Congress, which saw Godwin Etim John, emerge winner with 56 votes.
He said the said congress, which lacked the participation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and went ahead despite a court injunction, used suspended members of the party for the election against the spirit and in defiance of the party’s constitution.
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According to him, ''The notice of the congress was short of the prescription of Section 85 (1) of the electoral act (2010 as amended) which stipulates that at least 21 days be given to INEC of the party’s intention to hold its congress, but which in this case no notice was given at all, and for the Cross River state APC less than three days’ notice thus leading to the harried selling, completion and submission of forms up to and until the commencement of the Congress.
''The Congress defied Article 25(iv) of the APC Constitution which states that at least 14 days’ notice be given to each level of the party of its intention to hold congress but for which no notice was given in the instant case.
''That over 980 delegates (five from each ward) of the 196 council wards were disenfranchised from participating in the election of the state party which not only denied them their right to vote but their civic responsibility resulting in the congress being short of the stipulated minimum of a third of the appropriate quorum and very unfair deal to the hundreds of thousands of anxious party members to vote for a credible person in a critical congress.
''From ordinary logic and proper deduction, there is no iota of doubt that the Congress of the APC purportedly held on the 24th of February, 2018 in Calabar was heavily compromised from conception to execution and should be rendered null and void.
''Godwin Etim John should therefore be disqualified for not being able to contest by reason of his suspension by the APC and the said suspension not being lifted by appropriate organ of the party and should not be declared winner of the Congress as chairman as this will amount to of democracy, a case too many in our ever nascent democracy.''
Also a chieftain of the APC in the state, Ernets Irek, who also describe the congress as an illegality, said they have lost confidence in the national chairman of the party, John Oyegun.
Irek said: ''We don’t have any confidence in the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun. We have lost confidence in him because he has refused to do the right thing. With 24 states in our kitty, if we are not careful, we may not even have 10 states in the next election. The kind of impunity going on is unheard of. It has become so compromised.''
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Chairman of Coalition of APC Support Groups in the state, Comrade Iso Bassey Edim accused some top officials of the party in the state of working with the People’s Democratic Party government to destroy APC ahead of 2019.
Edim said: ''We’re not happy with what happened on Saturday because we can’t support the legalization of illegality. The constitution is clear on how to conduct party Congress.
''There was no INEC representation whatsoever. We are made to understand that there’s a sinister plan for those who think they can mortgage APC in the state.
''Why did they rush into organizing a fire brigade Congress when there’s Congress coming up next month? We’re calling on the National Leader, Bola Tinubu, to come to our rescue because vultures are out to destroy APC. While we want to take over the state from PDP some people are working to destroying the party.''
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the chairman of the APC in Etche local government area of the state, in a letter dated January 3, 2018, announced his defection from his party to the PDP.
In the letter addressed to the APC chairman in the state, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, Elekwa said he is leaving the APC to rejoin the PDP because the party has done well in projects delivery.
PDP Chieftain, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu speaks about the party's crisis - on Legit.ng TV:
Source: Legit.ng
