Anambra APC sacks publicity secretary for congratulating Soludo, as Madukaife insists state chairman ‘is on his own’
Crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), Anambra State Chapter, could reach boiling point following the loss suffered at the just-concluded governorship election won by candidate of the All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA), as party executive committee members are now locked in a power contest.
This is even as while the state chapter of the party announced the sacking of its Publicity Secretary, Okelue Madukaife for reasons tied to the latter’s congratulatory message to the candidate of APGA at the governorship poll, Prof. Charles Soludo, the executive member in question rubbished the dismissal, even as he insisted that the chairman ‘ is on his own.’
State chairman of the party, Basil Ejidike, who announced the sack of the Publicity Secretary at a press conference in Awka, Sunday, claimed that Madukaife was earlier suspended in June this year but ‘had continued to parade himself as the public secretary to the extent that he appeared on national television recently to congratulate the All Progressives Grand Alliance governor-elect, Prof Chukwuma Soludo.’
“Okelue was suspended in June this year. We were surprised that he has continued to parade himself as the publicity secretary of the party. That ought not to be.
“On behalf of APC Anambra State, we wish to clearly state that Okelue Madukaife is no longer a member of our party and so he can’t be or function as the publicity secretary of our party in the state.
“Anybody dealing with him as a member of APC or publicity secretary of the party is doing so at their own risk.
“We wish to state categorically that as far as the Anambra governorship poll is concerned, we have not congratulated anybody,” Ejidike said.
Continuing, the APC state chairman said: “But we are aware that since June, he has been raining abuses on our party.
“Okelo was suspended since June following his involvement in anti-party activities. He has been replaced by assistant publicity secretary, Nonso Chinwuba. Okelo does not belong to the party.”
Describing the election as fraud, Ejidike said the party was studying the situation with a view to approaching the court about the outcome of the poll.
Reminded of the congratulations issued to Soludo by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and Director General of the National Inland Waterways (NIWA), Chief George Moghalu (all members of the APC in the state), Ejidike said they did that as individuals and not as officials of the party.
However, Madukaife has insisted that he remained the state’s publicity secretary.
“As I’m talking with you, I’m still doing my work very effectively, discharging my duties as the publicity secretary of the party in the state. So, I don’t know what you are talking about.
“Maybe I should see everything he said so that I reply once because our party cannot be sold to anybody. Our position that there were no governorship primaries in Anambra as stated by our chapter remains firm, fixed and unshakable. It’s the truth registered in the minds of all members of APC in the state.
“But I need to see what exactly Ejidike is saying before I can make one word. Ejidike is on his own. The whole chapter has discovered that he is a sellout who collected a lot of money to sell our primaries out. I don’t want to miss one word in what I’m replying, that’s why I said I would want to see what exactly he said because we have been managing him for the sake of our own image,” Madukaife said.
It would be recalled that Okelue Madukaife while featuring as a guest on AriseTV’s programme ‘Arise Interview,’ said the party congratulates Soludo on his victory but was quick to add that APC will be holding him accountable ‘in the most civil manner to ensure that he lives up to the promises made to Ndi Anambra.’
Madukaife went further to thank the security agencies for their efforts in ensuring a smooth conduct of the exercise, even as he condemned the non conduct of local government elections in the state since 2009 (except in 2013 and 2014) and assured that their advocacy for the conduct of local government elections in the state will continue.
However, while the APC initially announced a rejection of the results of the election, the party state chairman, Ejidike withdrew the statement.