Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governorship candidate of the party in 2015 in Ebonyi State, Senator Julius Ucha, has chided the outgoing National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, over a report credited to him in a national daily that the senator would soon join a few members who would be leaving the party in a few weeks, stressing that Oyegun can’t force him out of the party.
Speaking with journalists in Abakaliki on Sunday, Ucha said that thinking that some people would leave the party because he (Oyegun) had inflicted much injuries on the party was a big mistake, stressing that the new leadership that would emerge will work hard to prepare the party ahead of the general election.
Ucha said: “Oyegun thinks that the injury he has done over the years to some key members of the party will force them out of the party, but he’s just daydreaming because he’s a wounded lion. He is the person who will definitely leave the party though he thinks that some of us that he has consistently made it impossible to function in our states will leave but we will remain in our great party, APC.”
He therefore warned against the use of fake delegates who were not elected in the just concluded state congresses of the party to vote during the forthcoming national convention of the party.
Ucha noted that the recent inauguration of the state chairmen of the party in Abuja by the outgoing national chairman Oyegun was a ploy to create more problems for the party despite a warning from the National Legal Adviser of the party.
He said available records including that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that there were no ward congresses in five out of the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State.
Describing the inauguration as illegal and a nullity, the chieftain therefore warned that the use of delegates who were not validly elected in their various state congresses would affect the validity of the convention and subsequent elections in the party.
Ucha said: “If the party allows him (Oyegun) to introduce delegates that were not dully elected according to Electoral Act and guidelines of the party, delegates that were made by overambitious politicians who stayed in their houses to write names and such delegates are allowed to be used in the upcoming national convention of the party, other political parties are watching; because that will affect the validity of the convention.”
