state chairman says delegate committee members missing
Yolamchi Ukaga, Aba
The ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state, was marred by confusion as the state chairman of the party, Donatus Nwankpa, declared members of the delegate committee sent from the party headquarters to conduct the exercise, missing.
He stated that the committee members absconded and refused to show up at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia.
Briefing journalists on the development, Nwankpa, observed that the committee members were in Abia to create confusion and destabilise the party in the state.
Recall that the APC, on Wednesday, July 27, 2021, inaugurated a two-man congress committee each for 34 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who were urged to conduct proper ward congresses where they were sent.
It was, however, alleged by some party faithful that the delegate committee for Abia came into the state, but were hijacked by a party bigwig, whose name they did not mention.
According to Nwankpa, “Some people believe that they have gotten to a system that is not only a garrison command, but also an ambush system.
“They have taken those people who shamelessly refused to interact with the existing structure in the state. It’s so unfortunate.
“They are thus a disgrace to the national body, whom I believe did not give them this mandate of irresponsibility and act of disregard to a constituted authority, which is an act of insubordination.
“However, knowing that the party did not, in any way, cancel the congresses today and the committee that brought the forms from the national secretariat, in line with the party policy and direction, brought the forms to the party secretariat here.
“And the party duly took custody of it and members who paid to the national account, were given forms and, by the party regulation, after the sale of forms, the state chairman will set up the screening committee and appeal on screening, because there is no screening without forms.
“The forms were handed to the committees mentioned and they’ve screened all candidates and returned. Unfortunately for us, the people that the committee was to hand over the documents and forms to did not appear. We’re not unaware of some clandestine meeting going on claiming to be stakeholders.
“How can you talk about stakeholders of Abia APC without Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu, Dr Uche Ogah, Dr Nyerere Ayim, Dr Chris Akomas, Prince Paul Ikonne, Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu and many other prominent leaders and myself, the state chairman and other members of the state working committee.
“To that effect, we are saying that the committee has absconded and we’ve declared them wanted in Abia state. They’ve come to cause trouble in Abia state. They didn’t come to the party secretariat. We know that the national secretariat did not send them to do this”, he stated.
He urged party members to go about and do their congresses with the state properly constituted congress committee, as every document for the congress is at the state secretariat, waiting for the committee.
Nwankpa affirmed that whatever result the absconded committee will write with those who sponsored them will be treated like nothing and cannot stand.
He stated that the state executive had reported the matter to the State Commissioner of Police, Director of the DSS, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner and all necessary bodies involved in election.
Nwankpa used the opportunity to call for the establishment of an electoral malpractice tribunal that can try people like members of the committee, whom he said have come to cause mayhem in Abia state