The Cross Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu to act on time to end the crisis rocking the party.
The state arm of the party stated that the crisis rocking the party would degenerate into an “epic proportions” if they fail to take urgent actions.
It made the call while calling for the cancellation of illegal congress in the party.
In two separate letters to the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole signed by the Chairman of Ikom Local Government and Area Council Caucus, Barrister Odey Oyama called on the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, and the Board of Trustees, BOT, to cancel the “illegal state congress” which was held on February 24, 2018.
Oyama said the illegal congress conducted by the Deputy National Chairman, Engr. Segun Oni, disenfranchised 980 delegates and has aggravated the party crisis in the state, hence the need for cancellation.
He stated that Congress fell short of the law and should be cancelled.
Oyama said: “By copy of this letter, we are notifying President Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as His Excellency (Senator) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (the Party Leader) of the crisis in Cross River State Chapter of APC and to emphasise that it requires urgent attention in order to prevent a multiplicity of actions.”
He stated that the disenfranchised 980 delegates included 196 women from 196 wards were also disenfranchised, contrary to the party’s constitution which stipulates that “Five delegates per ward, at least one of whom shall be a woman”, shall take part in the Congress.
Oyama stated that only 94 delegates including a woman “were rather deliberately handpicked to participate in the state Congress.
“The disenfranchisement of 980 legitimate delegates (i.e. about 91℅ of the total number of legitimate delegates that ought to have participated at the congress) is perverse.
“Therefore, in order to avoid the perpetuation of such gross impunity in APC, the BOT and/or the NWC has an inherent jurisdiction to set aside the congress that has been done in abuse of the APC Constitution.
“Hence it is our prayer that the BOT and/or the NWC should evoke its prerogative and inherent jurisdiction to discountenance the state congress of Saturday, February 24, 2018 that held in Calabar.”
The letter further stated that, “the Engr. Segun Oni’s Congress Committee lacked jurisdiction in excluding 91 per cent of constitutionally recognised delegates from participating in the state Congress.”
“The prescribed procedures for conducting such a congress were not properly complied with and the event did not occur in consideration of the universal domain stipulated in the APC Constitution.”
The Ikom LGA Caucus Chairman described the Congress as “an assembly of co-conspirators who wanted to appoint a handpicked person as state Chairman of the party in total disrespect of the Constitution of APC and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This is a situation that has the potential of creating a very serious crisis in Cross River state chapter of APC, the letter said.
In the second letter seeking proper construction, interpretation and administration of the APC Constitution, Oyama also said the state Congress which held in Calabar on February 24, 2018 was in breach of the party’s Constitution as “it did not give at least 14 days notice to eligible members to attend.”
Arguing that the decision to hold the congress was taken at the National Secretariat Abuja on February 19, 2018, he stated that the congress held on February 24 indicating that only a 4-day notice was given to the members against the letters of the party Constitution.
He said the party also flouted the statutory notice it was supposed to give to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Comments