Stakeholders reject APC State Congress in Cross River

From L : Ntufam Hilliard Eta, National Vice Chairman, S/South, Ex-Cross River Governor, Dr. Clement Ebri, and Senator John Owan Enoh representing the central senatorial district of the state.

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, led by ex-governor, Dr Clement Ebri, have rejected the State Congress which held last Saturday. 

Addressing reporters in Calabar on Sunday evening, they demanded a "proper state congress using the authentic state delegates elected at the ward congress".

He said, "It has become expedient that we address you in respect of the recent congress of the APC held in Cross River State on Saturday 19th May, 2018 the cultural centre Calabar. Most of you would have noticed that majority of the party’s stakeholders representing about 90% of the party’s leaders were absent at the charade tagged a congress held at the Cultural Center, Calabar.

"The congress committee led by Maj. Gen. U.T. Umar (rtd) had conducted successful congress across the state and were in the process of collating result’s from the Local Government congress when news got to us that the secretary of the committee one Bar. Ambrose Egwunatum had surreptitiously taken off from the state with fake result sheets to submit to National Secretariat without the congress chairman’s knowledge. These were the fake result sheets that were used in the delegates list to conduct the improper State congress yesterday.

"Recall that Cross River State had rescheduled the ward and local government congresses in line with the protest of most stakeholders that the earlier process was compromised. While other states held theirs earlier, our chapter congress held on 17th/18 May, 2018, which was the last day for the local government congresses. It is expected that since state congress was to take place on the 19th of May, 2018, the congress in Cross River State would have been rescheduled since the results from the Local Government congresses across the state were yet to be conclusively collated and the list of delegates to the state congress yet to be published in line with party guidelines for the conduct of the election.

"We are aware and have on authority that our member, the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta is in the league with the Cross River State Governor to sound the death knell on APC in our state. How else can you justify the situation were our president who was refused public space in 2015 can now find favor in Cross River State to the extent that the cultural centre with alternative of the international conference center was easily offered by the Cross River State government. Which other complicity do you need to see how these fellows are working against the party?

"Furthermore, a strange thing was the illegal deployment of soldiers who fired life bullets on our party supporters.

Consequently the overwhelming majority of stake holders of the party in Cross river hereby demand a proper state congress using the authentic state delegates elected at the ward congress. For this to happen we demand that certain minimum conditions be adhered to.

"We demand that before the state congress, the delegates list must be published 24hrs before the event. We demand as a matter of urgency that the party at the national level should call for the said congress to hold before Saturday 26th May, 2018.

"We still demand that the local government congress result be published for scrutiny while we reconcile this with the police, INEC, and DSS who were all present at the various venues.

"We strongly condemn the external influence being exerted on the APC in Cross River State especially from highly placed individuals from our zone and other conniving members of the national working committee.

"Finally, we pledge our total commitment to the building of our great party not only to win the presidency but also to take over power in Cross River. We are really strong and willing to carry out the assignment."

Present at the briefing were National Vice Chairman South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, ex-governorship candidate, Mr Odey Ochicha, Senator John Owan-Enoh, Prof Eyo Etim Nyong, Rt. Hon. Paul Adah, Bishop Victor Ebong, Barr. Venatius Ikem among others.