The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State last Wednesday held its first State Executive Council meeting after several months.
Our correspondent gathered that the APC SEC meeting was held ahead of the State Party Congress scheduled for this weekend.
However, the meeting was not void of controversies as some leaders of the APC led by Senator Magnus Abe walked out.
The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Abe walked out with his supporters to hold a media conference at his governorship campaign office in Port Harcourt where he claimed that those at the meeting were not members of APC SEC.
He said the meeting was already flawed, just as he expressed worry that the APC state congress may not be free and fair.
Senator Abe advised the party not to take actions that will interfere with the process of electing credible people into the State Executive Council.
“The meeting had a few challenges in my view because the State Executive Committee of the party is a constitutional body provided for in the APC Constitution, but as we observed at the meeting, most of those who turned up for the meeting were not members of the State Executive Committee.
“A lot of them were rather co-opted into the Committee this afternoon by means that were far from clear to us. Several members of the Committee expressed misgivings on that note.
“We have not heard from the State Chairman of the party and the State Working Committee as to how that will be done with respect to some of the concerns that have been expressed and some of the actions that have been taken.
“We have had cause to advise the party against trying to take any action that is likely to interfere with the ability of members to elect people of their choice to manage the affairs of the party.
“The things that have gone on in the state over the past couple of weeks have already giving members of this party very serious concerns about the transparency of the management of the process that is forthcoming.
“As you can see, members of the party all across the state are mobilised and ready for the congresses but it has to be a congress where the actual result as determined by the people on the field is what will be reflected in the records of the party”, Abe said.
Meanwhile, the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi has taken a different dimension as members of the Audu/Faleke Political Organisation in Kogi State have opted out of the forthcoming congresses.
The group said in a statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja, yesterday, that it was abandoning the congresses because Governor Yahaya Bello had allegedly hijacked the process.
“Now that the party’s congresses are here, the governor, true to type, has hijacked the whole processes, handing over the ward congresses to his local government administrators to compile names from wards to local government areas.”
The organisation’s Director, Media and Publicity, Mr Duro Meseko, signed the statement.
Meseko said that the governor had been using the administrators to function virtually as alternative party executives and refused to fund the authentic party executives.
The group also cited the inability of the national leadership of the party to live up to expectations as another reason for boycotting the congresses.
“The National leadership of the party has also not lived up to expectations in most cases regarding Kogi issue.
“For instance, the letter from the National Secretariat of the party on the organisation and conduct of the congresses was handed over directly to the governor instead of the leadership of the state executive.”
Meseko also mentioned the inability to reconcile various factions in the state branch of the party for its decision.
He further alleged that thugs were being armed to attack members of the group at the venue of the congresses, adding that the decision to boycott the congresses was to safeguard lives and property.
The group, therefore, directed its members in the three senatorial districts of the state not to participate in the congresses.
In another development,the adviser to Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, on Special Duties, Sani Mallam has resigned his position with immediate effect
This was just as the adviser admitted that APC is gradually sliding like a sinking ship.
Sani Mallam exclusively told our correspondent in an interview yesterday in Bauchi.
Although he said, his decision to resign his appointment was to enable him concentrate on campaigning for APC Chairmanship in Bauchi state ahead of the party’s Congress.
According to Mallam, he cannot combine office routine while engaging in campaign for the party’s chairmanship Mallam, however, said the All Progressive Congress party was sliding gradually due to its current crisis.
He blamed the outgoing team led by Ahmed Uba Nana for the party’s crisis, saying APC popularity is fast drifting.
“ There is no justice in the APC currently at all levels and if not addressed, the party may lose to the opposition,” Mallam said.
Mallam stressed that APC supporters will not fold their hands while the governors imposed unpopular candidate during the party’s Congress.
“ Let the APC try the mistake of PDP in 2015 and see how the party will lose election to the opposition,” Mallam further said.
He then cautioned APC against imposition of candidates for personal interest detrimental to the party.
Also, Imo All Progressives Congress Stakeholders Forum has pleaded with the party´s National Working Committee to intervene in the crisis currently rocking its ranks.
Oke Ikoro, the Chairman of the forum, made the plea last Wednesday in Abuja when a delegation of the forum visited the NWC.
According to him, APC in Imo has been appropriated by Governor Rochas Okorocha who “has completely privatised the party” through his activities.
Ikoro said there was so much anger, acrimony and bitterness among party members.
He said: This is why we have come here to lend our grievances to the NWC, we came to express our disappointment on the leadership of Governor Rochas Okorocha, his activities and the APC under him.
“We didn´t want to say this with word of mouth but we have put it in writing so that you can have a critical look at it after we had gone.”
Ikoro said that the stakeholders had to bring the matter to NWC after trying without success to address it at the state level.
He alleged that some of the governor´s actions in the state were not friendly and were forcing members out of the party rather than bringing membership to the fold.
Ikoro said the actions included the demolition of markets and indiscriminate revocation of land titles without due process.
He also criticised the governor´s plan to install his son-in-law as the next governor of Imo.
Ikoro said: “All we are saying is that due process should be followed and that the state funds should not be wasted.”
According to him, people are exiting from the party because of the highhandedness of the governor.
He said: “We are calling on the party leadership to call the governor to order and to separate the party from him.”
Ikoro expressed optimism that as the highest organ of the party empowered to bring peace and unity, the matter would be addressed by the NWC.
He said: “Furthermore, on Saturday, the ward congresses of the party will start and we know that what the governor is planning is to hijack the process.”
He alleged that the governor’s plan was to influence the congress by ensuring that his cronies were put in elective offices.
He said that the party leadership should intervene to prevent the governor from hijacking the process.
In his response, the APC National Chairman, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, said there was nothing to celebrate in the report.
He said that the saving grace was that the stakeholders were all dedicated and did not storm out of the party.
He said Imo must lead in the South- East to ensure the party´s electoral victory in 2019 and as such the unity of the party was critical to achieve the goal.
Odigie-Oyegun said: “Some controversies are necessary to bring about unity that will bring victory, together Imo state will be almost a certainty but we will be in deep trouble if we are divided.
“Without any prejudice, I want to assure you that we, on our side, will do everything possible to take up your complaints and reservations.
“We will talk to the other side so that an acceptable compromise and understanding is reached to make it possible for us to work as one party and one political fighting force.
“I am certainly not unaware of the issues; as the party’s national chairman, all these things end up directly or indirectly on my desk.”
The party chairman added that whatever the rights and the wrongs of both sides were, victory could only come through unity.
He said that to get unity, there must be justice, adding: “while am insisting on a united fighting force, I also insist that there is justice’’.
Odigie-Oyegun said that as far as the coming party congresses were concerned, the leadership was determined to ensure free, fair and level playing field for all aspirants in spite of what anyone thought.
He charged the stakeholders to prove their worth by ensuring that the right things were done and that true reconciliation was achieved in the party in Imo.