Following the just concluded All Progressives Congress (APC), state congress held on Saturday, October 16, in Abia State, representatives of the two factions have held a debate.
Recall that two factions of the APC, held a parallel congress which produced two chairmen.
Chief Donatus Nwankpa led faction produced Hon. Acho Obioma alias Chomen as the state chairman of the party, while High Chief Ikechi Emenike led faction produced Mr Enyinnaya Harbour
The outcome of the congress has confirmed speculations that the APC in the state is factionalized which the players involved have continued to deny.
The factions held a debate on a Flo FM programme, “the Platform” on Monday, October 18, monitored by ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER.
The representatives were; Hon. Acho Obioma (Nwakpa’s faction) and Comrade Okey Ezeala (newly elected publicity secretary of the High Chief Ikechi Emenike’s faction).
Hon Obioma maintained that only one APC (his faction)exists in the state which is recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He added that any other faction holding a congress were merely entertaining themselves.
Meanwhile, at the Saturday congress, the INEC and some members of the National Congress committee of the APC were only present at the venue for the Ikechi Emenike led faction’s congress.
Hon. Acho said;
In Abia State we have only one party, headed by Hon. Donatus Nwankpa. There is no other party. The office is at Azikiwe. The national recognizes this, INEC also recognizes this and am sure everybody in Abia knows that that’s where it is and Nwankpa is the chairman.
So if some people decides to go entertain themselves and create a ceremony somewhere, not minding who attended, the important thing is where is the party? Are there factions in the party in Abia state? The answer is no.
In INEC there is only one party, there is only one chairman. Unless after the exit of the present leadership of Donatus Nwankpa and some people decide to create some other thing, that’s fine. But as it is now, there is only one party. And if anybody has gone to do anything outside the constituted authority, I believe they were just entertaining themselves, that was a ceremony.”
He stated that it was unfortunate and embarrassing that Enyinnaya Harbour is described as the state chairman of the party. He maintained that Nwankpa remains the chairman of the party.
Comrade Okey Eziala reacting to Acho’s claim that the congress which brought him into power was just for entertainment said;
“there is APC constitution and there is only one APC as he rightly said. And that one APC conducted its state congress in Abia. Nobody has right to convene any congress anywhere without the consent, approval, procedure outlined and followed by the National party.
The big question is, has the APC he alluded to in Abuja conducted any state congress in Abia? The answer is yes. Has results been produced? The answer is yes. And from the results that emanates from the only APC that exists, who are the leaders of the party? These are genuine questions that honest minds should ask about and we already know the answer and the answer is that Maazi Enyinnaya Harbor, was popularly elected as Abia state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in a congress conducted by the one and only national working committee sent to Abia state.
“somebody talked about a group of persons going to make merry or create a ceremony, he might be right. But the question is, between the legitimately organized Committee by the NWC of the party to come to Abia and conduct election and the people who have nobody- they don’t have the law supporting them, they don’t have the party supporting them, they don’t have any meaningful politician within the ambit of the All Progressives Congress, supporting their action, who should now be called a naming ceremony and who should be called a state congress?”
Reacting to the ‘law and constitution’ raised by Eziala, Chomen said;
“ the pronouncements are made from NEC to Working Committee and working committee gives directives and proclaim the elections and then its expected that they follow the rule of law and make sure that procedures are followed. By the time we set out for this, when the ward congresses were evoked, state chairmen were given directive on what to do, by the National Working Committee, and the National Chairman that attended that event was Donatus Nwankpa, as the recognized state chairman and they were asked to go to the states that people will come from National to sell the forms and those people did come to the state office and sold the forms to the state chairman. And the state chairman was also asked to consult leaders and set up a screening committee. State chairman set up a screening committee and those that were to conduct elections in the wards. It was there people were cleared to run the election.
National never sent anybody to come and do screening which is normal thing. People don’t just jump in and do elections. You get up your form, you show all the details, guidelines and all that and things that qualify you to do the elections and you’ll be screened. State chairman went through all these processes and produced those that will do the election. The state chairman went through all these process, waiting for those that will come from Abuja, they came in on Friday at that time, Chairman had notified INEC, had gotten all the places that this ward congress will take place. And if you go to the APC constitution, the persons or the authority that convokes ward congresses are the ward executive committees- that’s what our constitution says- not even national. National does not identify where these processes takes place, its the ward executive committee and that was what happened.
Responding to if the list which emanated from the convention held during the local government congress has been accepted by the National body of the APC, Acho said;
“Both the local government election or state local government election there was no list of party sent from all over the states. What happened was that the party believes that the state chapters have all those that have emerged. The only general election is the first election, which is the ward. And in that ward election, we have the CTC copy from what INEC observed and given out.
The local government election which was delegate election was used by those who emerged in that and did the local government. We have the CTC copy and that is where delegates were elected to this particular convention. Apart from statutory delegates, those statutory delegates are known to the party through the state chairman of the party…….”
Eziala on his own part, noted that the NWC of the party reserves the constitutional right to send congress committees from Abuja for the ward, local government and state congresses.
He added that the committee having been sent three times to conduct the three congresses outweighs every alleged deception.
“the NWC sent ward congress committees, told them the address of the party in Abia and told them who the authentic chairman is –Maazi Enyinna Harbor and that explains why that congress diligent committee came to Abia to the authentic party structure, conducted the ward congresses went back to Abuja and they were welcomed, they were not sanctioned, they were not reprimanded. They still sent them again in solidarity with their former action….”
He further said;
“ APC has come to stay in Abia as a major opposition party here. No more impostor; no more people who are APC in the morning and other political parties at night……. It is a long awaited reformation that is taking place in this party now……..”
According to Eziala, the APC has resolved to deal with anyone claiming factionalization in the party.
“the decision of the party henceforth is that as soon as we get authority from the party to suppress any act of illegality false identity or people who are claiming who they are not in the party, once we get authority to prosecute them, we will arrest them and prosecute them”.
He noted that a re conciliatory committee will soon be inaugurated to meet chieftains to find solutions to the troubles in the party.
On his own part, Acho who affirmed that there is confusion in the party stated that reconciliation will come when the atmosphere settles down. However, “everything will end in a law court to determine who is actually the party’s chairman”.
