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EXCLUSIVE: Plot By Expelled AAC Secretary, Nzenwa, INEC To Hijack Party From Sowore Uncovered

Also, INEC officials working with Nzenwa, have been offered money and are already making moves to co-opt other members of the electoral body into the plot, according to findings by our correspondent.

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Fresh facts have emerged on a plot by the expelled Secretary of the African Action Congress, Leonard Nzenwa, and some highly placed individual within the Independent National Electoral Commission to hijack the party from its founder and National Chairman, Omoyele Sowore.

Since the conclusion of the 2019 general election in Nigeria, Nzenwa, has received backing and whopping sums of money from members of major opposition political parties in the country to force Sowore out and take over the AAC.

On May 13, 2019, Nzenwa hurriedly organised a meeting, announcing the suspension of Sowore and all members of the party’s executive council before crowning himself national chairman.

The move by Nzenwa was discredited by INEC at the time, with the commission vowing to continue to recognise and relate with Mr Sowore as the substantive National Chairman of the AAC.

INEC had said, “There are no minutes or evidence of attendance of the AAC National Executive Committee meeting where the National Chairman and eight others were purportedly suspended.

“Accordingly, the Commission shall continue to recognise and relate with Mr Omoyele Sowore as the substantive National Chairman of the African Action Congress."[story_link align="left"]72028[/story_link]

But undone with his plot to unseat the AAC founder, Nzenwa again on August 9, 2019, organised another national convention in Owerri, Imo State, where he announced the expulsion of Sowore.

The convention had no executive, stakeholders and duly registered member of the party in attendance.

Nzenwa, at the ‘quack’ convention, also expelled 28 other members of the party.

However, since the announcement by INEC, Nzenwa and his funders have been making moves to force the electoral body to vet the suspension of Sowore and recognise him as National Chairman of the AAC.

SaharaReporters reliably gathered that some top officials of INEC have been contacted and are ready to work with Nzenwa to hijack the party from Sowore.

Also, INEC officials working with Nzenwa, have been offered money and are already making moves to co-opt other members of the electoral body into the plot, according to findings by our correspondent.

Confirming the report, a high ranking member of the AAC said Nzenwa was committed to carrying out the demands of his paymasters.

The source, however, noted that not all top officials of INEC were working with Nzenwa.[story_link align="left"]69915[/story_link]

“The AAC is saddened to hear that INEC considered colluding with an individual who has been expunged by the same party he had tried so hard to foist himself upon.

“While all of INEC is not complicit, information reaching the party confirms that well-placed individuals are part of this conspiracy.

“The implications of such unholy transaction are a cause for concern, as it undermines the very integrity and the free and fair democratic process that the public expects of a body like INEC,” the source said.

The source also revealed that the electoral umpire has been giving various responses to individuals, who inquire about happenings in the AAC.

“The fact that various inquiries to the body yield different responses depending on the responder, is also a cause of worry,” the source added.

The authentic faction of the party led by Sowore, however, called on INEC to “retrace its steps in these matters and weed out bad elements within its ranks to protect Nigeria’s flailing democracy”.

The party also reiterated that Nzenwa remains expelled by the constitutionally recognised law of the party.

When contacted by SaharaReporters to defend the allegations against some of their officials, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, did not pick his calls or respond to a text message sent to his telephone number on Tuesday.