CPC Crisis Deepens In Enugu

The current internal crisis  rocking the opposition party in Enugu,  Congress For Progressive Change (CPC) deepened further recently following the decision of some leaders of the party to appose key decisions of the party.   South –East, South – South and South West leaders of the party have vehemently  dissociated themselves from the suit filed by the party challenging the election of president  Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during  last April general elections in the country.

Making their feelings known at the  end of a One-Day meeting in Enugu, the capital city of Enugu  State, the leaders who represent the three zones, said that their decision to dissociate themselves from the suit  remained irreversible, saying that President Jonathan won the election convincingly.

They, therefore,  condemned the alleged plan to expel some southern leaders from the party, describing the action of the National Executive Committee  (NEC) of the CPC “as repugnant, obnoxious and objectionable, because it transcended constitutional limitations on their powers”.

Also in a statement issued in Enugu  by the  State Chairman of the CPC, Barrister  Emeka Okafor, leaders of the party, stated that the alleged expulsion of some Southern leaders from the party was a violation of the provisions of Article 8, section 31 (iv) of the CPC constitution. They stated that every member of the party has the right of fair hearing in all matters that affect him with regard to discipline.

The statement,  which was also made available to newsmen in Enugu, read in parts “That the NEC as presently constituted is illegal and does not have any legitimacy since the record of their existence is not with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The purported expulsion of the eminent southern leaders from CPC is null, void and of no effect. Several non-CPC Governors have resolved to co-opt many CPC members into their cabinet and the INEC has not found the action of the willing CPC members sanction able.

We, the eminent CPC Southern leaders, hereby give the impostor,  NEC of CPC seven days to retract their statement with regard to the expulsion and rescind their decision, failing which we shall in line with our resolution institute legal proceedings to compel their retractions”.

The statement further said “That we reaffirm and reinstate our earlier position that in the April 2011 Presidential election, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party won overwhelmingly in all the states in the South East, South –South and South West.

“That the impostor, NEC, should desist forthwith from dragging the integrity of eminent southern leaders into the mud”,  they further warned.