A former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last 2015 general election, Senator Julius Ucha, on Monday accused the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun of plotting a civilian coup against President Muhammadu Buhari and other teeming supporters of the party ahead of the 2019 general election.
Ucha, a former Senator who represented Ebonyi Central zone made this known in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state while briefing journalists on the outcome of the last Saturdays ward congresses of the party which took place in almost all parts of the country.
He alleged that the crises and violence that engulfed the last Saturday ward congresses across the country were “illegal and unethical” actions of NWC members which have endangered the democratic process of the exercise.
Ucha said that the actions have thrown the party into anarchy, resulting to violence and lawlessness all over the country because people were not given the freedom to choose who would be their party leaders.
He further described the Congress Committee as illegal and in contravention of the electoral act, party constitution and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as it was like being a judge in their own courts since most of them that put up the congress structure are also interested contestants.
“Our great party, the APC slated Saturday to be our party ward congresses in all over the country.This is what we had expected over the years and it came eventually. Last Saturday in Ebonyi state, we were expecting an unbiased state congress committee. Fundamentally, congressional election is anchored on quick sand. I say this because when you give your trust on illegality, there is a tendency that any trust founded on illegality will eventually collapse”.
“When this happened, is like a civilian coup against the teeming supporters of APC in Nigeria and also against the leader of the party, President Muhamammdu Buhari. I say this and am serious about it. We have a NWC that will expire in June, 2018 and these members of NWC want to contest.
“The National convention committee was put in place and members of NWC who are also going to contest for their various offices are now driving the process, to jettison the convention. That is why I called it a civilian coup against the system. These party officials at the national secretariat are now judges in their own courts. They are the people who have put in place the structures that are called congress committees that elect delegates that will elect them” he stated.
He also alleged that the Ajayi Nicholas led seven-man congress committee had not conducted any congress in the state as the committee had not put the structure in place to conduct the ward congresses, stressing that the inclusion of a staff of the National secretariat of the party, Mr Anyagh Memorial, as secretary of Ebonyi state ward congress committee was also illegal.
“In Ebonyi state, we were told that the congress committee arrived. We didn’t see anybody. We were told again that they were operating from Enugu state. I told the chairman of the congress committee that there are two secretariats of APC in Ebonyi state. If you were given directives to go to a particular place and you went to a particular office, he should have asked questions. There are two functional offices of APC. What they should have asked the stakeholders was to get a hotel accommodation for them so that they will be neutral.
“That was what Mrs Adesola Ndu did in 2014. When you do that, you have not offended anybody. People will be happy and ask leaders of the two groups to send two or three names so you will use to build your ward congress committees. Apart from that, it will be difficult for you to do the proper thing. The chairman of the committee told me that he was in Ebonyi state Commissioner of Police’s office that he will get back to me, up till now, he has not gotten to me, ” he noted.
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