From: JUDEX OKORO, Calabar
The battle over who becomes the substantive Cross River State chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) has pitched majority of the party stakeholders against the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, as the former have demanded the later stay clear of state politics.
The stakeholders are piqued that since the inception of APC in the state, Amaechi has been in firm control of the party and subsequently dictating who gets what, when and how.
This development has led to the factionalisation of party into two as well as in-fighting among party members, thereby making it difficult for the party in the state to fill the chairmanship position vacated by the current minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Usani Uguru Usani.
Daily Sun investigations revealed that while one of the factions is led by Usani, with full backing of Amaechi and other notable politicians including Chief Soni Abang, former Nigeria envoy to Gabon, Dr. Sandi Onor, former Commissioner for Environment and Agriculture and Dr. Alex Egbuna former Chief of Staff to Governor Imoke, the other faction is led by Hon Cletus Obun, the incumbent Vice Chairman of APC in the central senatorial district with the tacit support of Chief Ndoma Egba, Chairman of NDDC Board, Chief Clement Ebri, former Governor of Cross River, Chief Obla, Special Adviser to President on Prosecution and a host of others.
It was also learnt that while the Usani group is rooting for one John Etim, the former Etung local government council chairman under PDP, the latter wants justice to be done and party constitution as well as due process followed in electing the next party chairman to serve out the remaining tenure of Usain who hails from central district.
Worried by this sudden turn of events, the Concerned APC Stakeholders Forum under the leadership of Bar Utum Eteng, has raised the alarm calling on the national leadership of the party to intervene and save the party from early disintegration.
Eteng, who doubles as Founder/Coordinator of the coordinator of Clean Up Nigeria of Corruption, CUNOC, stated unequivocally that the Amaechi’s intervention in the internal affairs of APC Cross River isn’t born out of good faith as his actions and inactions have contributed to the crisis rocking the party in recent times.
Eteng, a member of Ken Nnamani-led Constitutional and Electoral Review Committee, said it is absolutely wrong for the national leadership of the party to allow Amaechi to be holding meetings at his residence in Abuja on how to resolve on who becomes the next state chairman while they are other APC reputable leaders that can do so.
He said: “It is important to let Amaechi know his limits in his involvement in matters concerning Cross River State APC. It is pertinent for Cross River State political leaders to remind Amaechi not again to be their peace maker. Cross River leaders should be bold enough to tell Amaechi to his face. He has a responsibility to face Governor Wike in his home State to show his strength and be on ground to assist the State APC win elections convincingly.
“It is yet as well to be known why armed soldiers and police men were released to intimidate party members at Ikom during an APC central senatorial district meeting on Sunday, February 28, 2017. It alleged that he and Uasni brought in armed soldiers to coerce them into adopting a particular chairmanship aspirant and to scuttle attempt to elect a popular aspirant.
“We say it categorically that we’ll resist whatever decision they take that is not in consonance with APC and consensus of the. Let him stay clear of people Cross River APC internal politics. We have leaders in our state that can resolve whatever crisis we have”
According to him, the APC National Leadership had better urgently give Cross River State party a direction on this matter either by encouraging Acting Chairman, John Ochalla, to continue as Chairman in view of the pending council election, or as an alternative make a definite statement on when the election of a State Chairman to run the party will be done.