2015: Congress crisis threatens APC unity in C’River

 

In this piece, MUDIAGA AFFE takes a cursory look at the discontentment which greeted the congress held by the All Progressives Congress in Cross River State

The existence of a vibrant opposition is considered the oxygen of every healthy democracy, where members of the opposition keep the ruling party on its toes with constructive criticisms. Oftentimes, such criticisms serve as reminder to those in government that should they falter, the people have an alternative.

Unlike the near seamless merger of opposition political parties at the national level to form the All Progressives Congress – a move which has forced the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to have a rethink about its strategies, happenings in the Cross River State chapter of the APC shows that there is a disconnect within the leadership of the party. Members of the state chapter are embroiled in a ‘war,’ which if not properly handled, will ensure that it loses the 2015 general elections and remain an opposition party in the state.

Suspicion and mistrust have become the order of the day as leaders scramble to control the party structure. Signs that all is not well began to manifest from the outset of congresses which were held in the 196 wards of the state. This crisis continued in the wake of local government areas congresses organised in the 18 council areas that led to the state congress held in Calabar. The congresses which were designed to elect officials to manage the party’s affairs at the ward, local government and state levels, became a platform for violent confrontations among leading party stalwarts and their supporters. At the peak of the crisis, no fewer than 50 unidentified thugs stormed the venue of the state congress and destroyed electoral materials while security agents watched.

The thugs, who alleged that the exercise was being manipulated by the interim executive committee, took the laws into their hands and freely used weapons on one another as well as hapless party members. Delegates and party officials, who were inside the banquet hall of the Venetian Arena, venue of the congress, were forced to scamper to safety through emergency exits. Although no group claimed responsibility for the invasion, it was gathered that the aggrieved men were acting the script of other party leaders, who were unhappy about the turn of events. The confusion which ensued led to the cancellation of the state congress.

Chairman of the state congress committee, Dr. Isaiah Osifo, declined to grant an interview over the development largely because he was understandably under immense pressure. He, however, said his major concern was to ensure the safety of the members of the National Youth Service Corps who were engaged to assist in the exercise.

It was gathered that some party faithful suspected that the embattled chairman of state interim harmonisation committee, Mr. Alex Irek, had put in place structures to ensure that the process was skewed in favour his supporters.

This suspicion spurred 20 out of the 27 members of the state harmonisation committee to march to the state party secretariat for an emergency meeting. When the meeting ended, a majority of party members resolved to remove Irek as interim chairman. He was replaced by the former state Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, Mr. Martins Bissong. Members of the interim committee who were also relieved of their positions included the Secretary, Victor Okon; Treasurer, Mike Agbe; Publicity Secretary, Ekpenyong Ayi; and Organising Secretary, Goddy Taks.

Bissong, who spoke with journalists afterwards, explained that he and members of the committee who met took the decision in order to save the party from imminent collapse. He disclosed that the ousted chairman had failed to ensure a level playing field for the smooth conduct of party congresses. He also alleged that the ousted interim chairman ran the party like a personal estate.

Bissong said, “What happened at the congress was avoidable. The disruption of the state congress was an instant and spontaneous reaction against discrepancies. It cannot be termed a violent reaction; it was just a reaction by some persons who felt that their rights were being infringed upon.”

When contacted, Irek said their action was an enterprise in futility which is null, void and of no effect because they had no right to convene any emergency meeting. Irek said, “They do not have the constitutional right or authority to do that. They are just jobbers. They brought in unidentified men to disrupt the process because they were already losing. They are bad losers and I remain the leader of the party and will not allow them to destroy it.”

The embattled chairman, who is a minority leader in the state House of Assembly, said what the “so-called” 20 members did was a waste of time because he was the only person constitutionally empowered to convene such meetings. However, a former state Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Cletus Obun, disagreed. He said the majority of members of the harmonisation committee had taken a definite stand and signed the document to remove Irek as an interim chairman.

Obun blamed the ousted chairman for allowing the situation to degenerate to the level it did, adding that the new composition of the party executive would help revive the party and put it on the path of growth.

“Twenty members of that committee signed the document that removed Irek and others. But note that they are still part and parcel of the committee and full-fledged members of the party as well. This problem arose because the committee led by Irek had compromised so much and the complicity led to this development,” Obun said.

Also corroborating this position, two chairmanship aspirants who took part in the botched state congress, Mr. Hilliard Eta and Dr. Ntete Duke, said the cancelled congress was a fraud. They declared that as loyal party men they were bound to abide by the decision supported by the majority. The ward congresses which were earlier slated to hold in early April were shifted more than twice following a series of complaints over alleged manipulations.

Specifically, some party faithful accused Irek of shunning due process by manipulating the list of congress officials. This led to protests by party members in Odukpani, Obubra, Bakassi and Boki local government areas. Party members also alleged that the ousted chairman had completely dumped the structure of the defunct ACN, under which he won elections into the state House of Assembly.

Reacting to the gale of accusations, Irek vowed not to be distracted from his determination to reposition the party and prepare it for future challenges. He accused his accusers of making up their minds to destroy the APC.

But an official of the state interim harmonisation committee, who preferred anonymity, accused the ousted party chairman of working hand in glove with the former state secretary of the party, Mr. Victor Okon, to manipulate the list of officials for the ward congresses. He said the manipulation was trailed by large scale irregularities such as late arrival and non-supply of materials. This, he said, led to inconclusive processes in some local government areas. The source said, “There was a deliberate effort to doctor the list of congress officials for the northern senatorial district and that informed the shifting of the congress. The lists of congress supervisors were changed by Irek and Okon at will and replaced with those of their cronies.

“In the central senatorial district, incomplete materials were distributed to the supervisors. There were no result sheets in the items released. Again, materials for Obubra LGA were only complete for four wards where Irek has strength while others were denied result sheets. In the southern senatorial district, congress did not hold in Odukpani LGA following disagreements in the choice of congress supervisor’s list.”

In response, Irek said, “For the APC to be the party to beat in Cross River, these accusers must begin to do away with those tendencies. I did not manipulate any list and they know it. From Obanliku to Bakassi, all the congress officials are known members of the party.

“In Yakurr, Chief Obono-Obla was in charge. In Boki, Cletus Obun was in charge. In Obubra, my LGA, I was in charge. In Calabar municipality, Hilliard Eta was in charge. In Odukpani, Eyo Ita, the chairman of the ward was in charge. So, what are they talking about?”

In an attempt to restore confidence in the party, it was learnt that the national headquarters of the party held a meeting with the feuding party members and decided to conduct a fresh state congresses.

Although, the date for the new congress is yet to be fixed, it was gathered that the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, had been given the mandate to take charge of the exercise.

While the party members continue to disagree, the state chapter of the ruling PDP is waiting in the wings to receive disenfranchised APC members who may wish to cross over. If this scenario remains, the ruling party can only prepare to enjoy another smooth passage into office during the 2015 general elections.

Ref:  http://www.punchng.com/politics/2015-congress-crisis-threatens-apc-unity-in-criver/

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