APC Crisis: Cross River Members Describe Congress As Sham

The outcome of the special congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State that held last weekend to elect a Chairman for the party has been described as a sham.

One of the candidates, Dr Mathew Achigbe told journalists in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital that there was an earlier court injunction stopping the party from holding the congress which wasn’t adhered to.

The APC Congress in Cross River State which held last Saturday brought together party members including the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani and other top political party members.

At the end of the congress, it saw Mr Godwin Etim John, emerge winner with 63 votes.

Few hours after results were announced, the outcome of the exercise was rejected some members of the party including by one of the candidates, Mr Matthew Achibe.

Achibe alleged that the congress lacked the participation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and went ahead despite a court injunction stopping the congress from holding.

“The notice of the congress was short of the prescription of Section 85 (1) of the electoral act (2010 as amended) which stipulates that at least 21 days be given to INEC of the party’s intention to hold its congress, but which in this case no notice was given at all,” Achibe said.

He said further that the national body of the APC should wade into the issue and disqualify one of the candidates Godwin Etim for not being able to contest by reason of his suspension by the APC.

“From ordinary logic and proper deduction, there is no iota of doubt that the Congress of the APC purportedly held on the 24th of February, 2018 in Calabar was heavily compromised from conception to execution and should be rendered null and void.

Godwin Etim John should therefore be disqualified for not being able to contest by reason of his suspension by the APC and the said suspension not being lifted by appropriate organ of the party and should not be declared winner of the Congress as chairman as this will amount to rape of democracy, a case too many in our ever nascent democracy,” he said.

A chieftain of the APC in the state, Mr Ernest Irek also described the congress as an illegality. He said they have lost confidence in the national chairman of the party, John Oyegun.

“We don’t have any confidence in the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun. We have lost confidence in him because he has refused to do the right thing.

With 24 states in our kitty, if we are not careful, we may not even have 10 states in the next election. The kind of impunity going on is unheard of,” Irek said.

As 2019 gets closer with the APC warming up to take over seat from the ruling party in the state, PDP, the party might have to put its house together to be able to effectively take over power.