Ben Dunno, Warri
The leadership of the All Progressives Congres (APC) in Delta state has discredited the setting up of a 5-man panel to probe allegations levelled against its Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, describing its composition and aim as an aberration to party’s constitution.
Making its stand known in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. O.S. Imonina, the party condemned the unconstitutional procedures in which the panel was set up, as well as the motive and integrity of the members that set up the panel.
The party in the statement made available to newsmen in Warri yesterday, has therefore urged the general public to discountenance the purported setting up of a 5-man probe panel by the party Secretary Comrade Chidi Okonji and his gang as unconstitutional and irresponsible act.
The statement read in part; “The attention of the All Progressives Congress, Delta State chapter has been drawn to a Press Conference addressed by the State Secretary of the Party, Comrade Chidi Okonji, and other suspended officers of the Party wherein the State Working Committee purportedly set up a 5 man fact finding/disciplinary committee to probe the state Chairman Prophet Jones Ode Erue on sundry allegations of mismanagement of the Party.
“The said Press Conference is not only a comical charade, but at best an exercise in total futility which exposes the naivety of the dramatis personae and their misunderstanding of the provisions of the Party’s constitution.
“The said press conference was designed to hoodwink the general public by desperate and drowning political neophytes.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the All Progressives Congress, Delta State is firmly under the chairmanship of Prophet Jones Ode Erue as the authentic state chairman and the Party hereby state categorically that:
“By the provisions of Article 25(c), the meeting of the State Working Committee is called at the behest of the State Chairman. It is therefore clear that the absence of the State Chairman, has robbed the said meeting of any legality whatsoever.
“Moreso, when those who called the meeting were already suspended and removed from office, thereby lacking the locus to summon any meeting of the Party wherein the State Chairman Prophet Jones Ode Erue was asked to resign and a panel set up to probe him.
“The act of setting up a 5 man fact finding/disciplinary committee to probe the state chairman, is a clear violation of the Party’s constitution.
“By the provisions of Article 21 (b), it is only the State Executive Committee that has the power to set up such a committee and not the State Working Committee (SWC).
“Therefore, the so called 5 man fact finding/disciplinary committee is not only incompetent to try the state Chairman, but a complete aberration not known to law and should be treated with utmost disdain it deserves.
“That the appointment of Engr. Elvis Ayomanor as acting Chairman is not only laughable, but a total sham that is without any legal foundation as Article 21(b)v did not make any provision for the resignation of the state chairman or any officer for that matter pending such investigation.
“Article 21(b) only state in part as follows: save in the case of allegations against a principal officer(s) of the national executive committee of the Party making it unjust to allow such principal officer to participate in the appointment of a fact finding/disciplinary committee, the national executive committee shall exclude such principal officer from the entire arbitral process.
“The above provision is self explanatory and has completely knocked out the basis for the appointment of already suspended Elvis Ayomanor as acting Chairman.
“That the members of the Party are enjoined to be peace loving and law abiding as the leadership of the Party under Prophet Jones Ode Erue is in the process of charting a new course for the Party.”