APC Suspends N’Delta Affairs Minister

The State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State has suspended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani.
Last Saturday, a member of the SWC, Chief Godwin Takus told newsmen that the minister was suspended because he held several meetings with a view to creating parallel state executive council (EXCO).
“State Working Committee (SWC) has suspended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani. The man has been going against most of the party (APC) rules. He called illegal meetings with intention of forming parallel State Executive Committee (EXCO).
“The party severally called him and warned him but he did not listen. Last year, he appeared before the State Working Committee to explain his role in some of those meetings.
“He told us he doesn’t owe us any explanation and he was warned. He promised us that he will be of good character from that moment. But he keeps holding different meetings both here in the state and Abuja.
“Recently, he tried to constitute a parallel EXCO against the one that has been in existence from the inception of the party, so we have no option than to suspend him and recommended for his expulsion from the party at the National level
“That is just summary of all we did. We truly tried to manage the problems that are associated with him since he left us as state chairman.
“Even his emergence as state chairman was questionable. He came in by way of imposition to all of us but we thought he will be good and try to manage the affairs of the party.
“But unfortunately, he didn’t. The opportunity we gave him, he refused to use it for the good of the party. We suspended him to move the party forward ahead of the 2019 elections” he stated.
Speaking further on the chances of the APC winning the forthcoming elections, Takus said, “We just have to win election in Cross River State, and (he) Usani has been a cloak in the wheel of progress of the party in the state.
“Almost everybody in the party in the state will tell you that the man is a major problem and because of him, the party was not moving forward. We have condoned him enough”.
On the issue of substantive chairman, he said, “You know the National (leadership) arranged to have a congress in November 29, 2017, but somebody came up and went to court and stopped the party from doing congress for reason best known to him.
“As a law-abiding party, we had to stop the congress and listen to the man’s grievances. But if the matter is not resolved at the proper time, that congress and convention will come up and we will certainly have a substantive state chairman. The state caucus will be inaugurated between now and February.”
All efforts to get confirmation from the minister was unsuccessful as his phone line was switched off for hours.