Delta APC crisis deepens as caretaker committee alleges hijack of congress materials
[From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba]
Crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State chapter, has taken a new twist as sales of nomination application forms for wards, local government areas and State executives have been stalled.
This is coming against the backdrop of an alleged hijack of the three bags out of the six sent by the national body to the state.
Briefing newsmen at the party’s secretariat along Anwai road, Asaba, the Deputy Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Engr Elvis Ayomanor, flanked by Comrade Okonji Chidi and Sir Amorighoye Mene, Caretaker Committee Secretary and State Organizing Secretary respectively, the Deputy Chairman said: “we on behalf of the 24 out of the 34 executive members of Delta State APC Caretaker Committee wish to draw the attention of APC members in Delta State and the whole world to the unsavory development concerning the sales of Congress Application forms in the Delta State APC.
“Out of the six bags only three bags were dumped at the party secretariat, Thursday night. Until that time the forms were nowhere to be found but yesterday night, some unknown persons dumped the forms at the party Secretariat.
“The three man national Committee on the sales of forms have informed us that on arrival in Delta State, on Tuesday 20th July 2021, the Special Adviser on Media to Prophet Jones Ode Erue, the state caretaker committee chairman, a certain Mr. Nick Ovuakporie, with the assistance of security official posed as the state organizing Secretary and requested that the forms be given to him for safe custody.
“On release of the forms to him on the 20th of July 2021, till now, the Mr. Nick Ovuakporie, has remained incommunicado and the forms have not been returned to the three man national Committee on Delta State APC Congress application form.
“The caretaker Committee chairman, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, through a release on social media by his known media aide, claimed that the forms were in his custody and that sales will commence at the Delta state APC Secretariat on Thursday, 22nd July 2021, but as we all can see today is Friday 23rd July 2021, both the State Caretaker chairman and his aide Mr. Nick Ovuakporie, are nowhere to be found”.
He disclosed that the said Mr. Nick Ovuakporie, is not the State Organizing Secretary as he claimed to the three man national Committee on sales of Congress application forms, members of the three man national Committee have never seen or met the State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Prophet Jones Ode Erue and they did not handover the forms to him neither did they mandate him to issue the forms out on their behalf, stressing that there are clear guidelines on how the forms are to be sold and only they have the mandate to do so.
According to him, “the forms hijacked from the Committee are of no value and lack any authority haven not been issued by the authorized persons, they are consequently declared null and void”, urging the party leadership in Abuja headquarter to direct the way forward to restore peace and order in the party in Delta State.
He further stated that the three man national Committee members have told them in clear terms that any form that did not pass through them has no legal authority.
He added that the missing three bags is against the spirit of the reconciliation been put in place by the national and state leadership of the party, “but however, we are where we have found ourselves and they have resolved that they are going to forge ahead because as party leaders we have to make progress and we have to participate in the congress.