Anambra APC Rejects State Congress, Calls for Harmonisation

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the state congress held by a faction of the party loyal to Senator Andy Uba, describing it as a nullity.

Some members of the party had last Sunday met and elected state officers through voice vote, but the election has been rejected as not being done according to the party’s guideline

There has been a rift in the party in the state after the governorship election, with some members of the party accusing the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, of being the cause of the party’s failure in the election, leading to the nomination of Senators Uba as the new leader of the party in the state.

The state Secretary of the party, Mr. Chukwuma Agufugo, at a press briefing with journalists yesterday said the party still retains Ngige as its leader, while dismissing the congress held by the Uba-led faction.

According to him, “I’m not surprised to hear that some people conducted a purported state congress last Sunday, because there has been this desperation by some individuals in the party to concoct what seems like a congress.

“There was no congress in the state party yesterday. There is a subsisting order and ruling by the state High Court and the Court of Appeal respectively. Emeka Ibe secured the judgement directing that the status quo should be maintained, where the former party Chairman, Ibe, was return as the state chairman of the party.

“That order was duly served on us and to the national secretariat of the party. I particularly wrote a memo to the national secretariat requesting its directive and intervention to that effect, and up until now, we have not received any reply.

“I do not believe that the party would be blind to that judgement. Of course you know that no matter how big or small a court order is, it is meant to be obeyed.”

On the participation of the Anambra State chapter of the party in the forthcoming national convention, the secretary said the option before the National Chairman of the party, Governor Mai Mala Buni, was to convene a stakeholders’ meeting to harmonise the party, saying that non-participation of the chapter in the convention may render the outcome a nullity.

“Given the situation, one should expect that Anambra State will go to the national convention with Ibe as state chairman because of the subsisting court orders.

“We have asked the national secretariat to call the stakeholders to a meeting to talk this out at once. We want discussion and dialogue to resolve things. If we do not resolve this and we go to the national convention with delegates outside the directive of the court, anything outside it is an invitation to a nullification of the convention.

“I’m advising the national secretariat to get in touch with the stakeholders and ensure there’s cohesion through invitation to a round table. As for the purported congress, it did not conform to the guideline of our party,” he stated.