The inauguration of the Delta State APC parallel executive was carried out during an enlarged meeting of elders, leaders and members of the party from Delta North, South and Central held last week Tuesday at Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North local government area of Delta State.
A supremacy crisis is currently tearing apart the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), leading to the sacking of the Jones Erue-led State executive, while a parallel State executive led by Nathaniel Omo-Onyeke has been constituted by elders and leaders of the party in the State.
It would be recalled that before now, the Erue-led executive was accused of high headedness, greediness, and hijacking the party by Emerhor O'tega, the party’s 2015 governorship candidate in Delta State, in alleged connivance with the party's chairman to run the party like their personal estate as well as failure to carry members along by the Erue-led State executive.
The inauguration of the Delta State APC parallel executive was carried out during an enlarged meeting of elders, leaders and members of the party from Delta North, South and Central held last week Tuesday at Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North local government area of Delta State.
The meeting was attended by some top chieftains of the party across the three senatorial districts of the State, including Alex Ideh, Veronica Ugbuagu, Senator Francis Spanner Okpozo, and Hyacinth Enuha, among others, who unanimously sacked Mr. Erue's executive council.
According to the leaders, the move became necessary in order to fulfill a court order that once dissolved Mr. Erue’s State executive over six months ago.
Speaking at the occasion, a chieftain of party in the State and member of Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Francis Spanner Okpozo, enjoined the newly constituted party executive to work for the general interest of the party and carry all members along, warning against betraying the confidence reposed in them by the party faithfuls.
Mr. Okpozo tasked the newly constituted Delta State Working Committee (SWC) of the party to work towards total victory in the forthcoming local government elections and to also put in place a formidable template towards the 2019 governorship election in the State, explaining that the party has no other option than to take over and maintain the State for the betterment of all Deltans irrespective of their political affiliations.
“The party must wrestle power from the PDP-led administration in the State come 2019. The party failed during the last 2015 governorship election because the sacked executive lacked the needed experience and political sagacity to manage internal conflict, advocate as opposition party, show proactive leadership qualities, reach out to the grassroots for mass mobilization and ineffective usage of the new age media and inability for probity, transparency and accountability during their reign caused the party most of the opportunities to victory and in doing so we must put selfish and egocentric motives aside and show selfless service to the party,” Mr. Okpozo stated.
Also speaking, a chieftain of the party in Delta North, Hyacinth Enuha, admonished the newly constituted State Caretaker Committee of the party to brace for upcoming challenges and to reinvigorate their tempo and determination to succeed. He emphasized the need to put the State party on the right path and not to block the chances of those committed to the cause of making the party viable and successful in the State and beyond.
The party leader charged the new executive to carry all stakeholders, youths, and women along in decision-making, no matter their social standing, so as to stem the massive defection from the party in recent times.
When contacted over the sacking of his executive, the embattled chairman of the APC in Delta State, Jones Erue, insisted that he remains the only recognized chairman of the party in the State, admitting that though he was briefed of the inauguration of the parallel State executive, he described it as a kangaroo inauguration.
“Was the so-called inauguration done in the State or national secretariat of the party? The answer is no. Are inaugurations of party executives done in individuals’ houses and compounds? Some of the disgruntled elements who carried out that anti-party act have been on suspension since. Because of greed, selfishness and personal interests of some of these disgruntled elements, the party victory in the 2015 governorship was traded. This illegal action carried out remains null and void, my State executive is still very much intact,” Mr. Erue stated.
Also reacting, the acting State publicity secretary of the party, Michael Chinye, stated that the meeting held at Ozoro last week on Tuesday had nothing to do with the party leadership in the State, adding that the moles that worked against the party at the last general election do not have the constitutional powers to dissolve an elected executive council.
Mr. Chinye noted that those fighting and fanning embers of discord in the party are not happy and are afraid of the likes of Great Ogboru, Victor Ochie, Emami Ayiri and other new entrants into the party, saying that its an indication that come 2019, APC will take over the State.
Security agents in Delta State had in June sealed off the secretariat of the Delta State chapter of the APC over the leadership tussle.
