A group of elders and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state led by Senator Chris Adighije have said the party’s state congress, scheduled for Saturday 16th October, will not hold.
The elders asked the national leadership under Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state to call back the state congress committee sent to Abia state.
Addressing a press conference Friday in Abuja, the Abia APC elders and leaders, which include Senator Nkechi Nwogu, APC caucus leader of Abia state Chief Sam Nkire, Ume Kalu (SAN), Barr. KC Ugboajah, Hon. Elton Onwu and Barr. Chijioke Ikpo, among others declared that whatever is done in the name of the state congress on Saturday “in Abia state is null and void.”
The APC caucus leader, Chief Sam Nkire, said: “We the elders of the party in Abia state demand that the national leadership of APC calls back whosoever had been sent to go to Abia state for state congress.
“There is a process going on that was directed by the national chairman of the party that Governor Hope Uzordinma who is the South-east leader of the APC should look into the problem or crisis in Abia state and report back to the headship of the party. As we speak to you here his report is not ready and we are aware he has not reported back. So anything done in Abia state in the name of state congress is null and void and illegal.”
Chief Nkire added that his group will abide by the decision taken by Governor Hope Uzondinma.
“We believe as elders that we owe it as a duty to our party at the national to raise this alarm on time that we go by the decision of the zonal leader who has been directed by the national leader to intervene.
“And that decision is that there shall b no congress until we harmonised the Ward and the local government. For somebody now to want to go into state Congresses at this stage will cause confusion.”
Giving an explanation of the situation, Senator Adighije said: “There is one person who claims that the party has been ceded to him by the leaders of the party and that he is a governor in waiting and he wants the entire party structure without going through due process.
“But we have a State Chairman of the party, Hon. Donatus Nwakpa and the guidelines for Congresses is very clear that the Congress committee when they arrive a state must report to the state executive led by the chairman.
“We suddenly find out that Emenike had hijacked people that came from Abuja to unknown place. That started the major problem. He alone on one side, the others on another side.
“Senator Hope Uzordinma who is well respected by our people, we believe in him. We accepted the position he took, he said all leaders should go to their various local governments, harmonise your wards and produce local governments and produce a list, thereafter another meeting would be held for the modalities for state congresses.
“This we agreed on Wednesday when the meeting ended. Today is Friday and people have gone to comply with the directive. To our surprise on Thursday which is the next day we understood that some elements have arrived Abia carrying congress materials to conduct so-called state congress completely veering from the points accepted by us and Senator Hope Uzordinma.”
