From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
A pressure group within the Delta State All Progressive Congress (APC), the Delta APC Unity Forum, has urged members of the party to resist any attempt by some leaders to impose ward, local government, senatorial and state executive members in the forthcoming congresses.
The group said the advice became imperative because of plans by selfish leaders to hijack the party structure for personal gains ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The coordinator of the group, Olorogun Isaac Ewhere, who gave the charge, accused a serving senator of orchestrating the plans to hijack the party ahead of the 2023 governorship election.
He lamented that disunity had robbed the party of victory in the state since its inception, adding that some selfish leaders are at it again to further tear the party into shreds before the 2023 elections with planned imposition of ward, local government, senatorial and state executives.
Ewhere, who hails from Delta Central senatorial district, stated that members of the party should be allowed to freely elect those that would lead the party from the ward to the state level.
‘We are not going to allow any form of an imposition this time around. Nobody, no matter how highly placed should seat in the comfort of his home or senatorial district and be given instructions to people on who to elect in another area.
‘That will not happen in the next congresses. If you are a leader, stay within your jurisdiction. You cannot decide what happens in your local government, for instance, and also come to my own to decide for us.
‘As I speak to you now, there are underground plans to undermine the party’s governorship candidate in 2019, Chief Ogboru in Delta Central. There are also plans to push aside tested leaders like Cairo Ojougboh and Victor Ochei in Delta North, and also other leaders in Delta South who are not on the same page with them. We will not allow it to happen.
‘In Delta APC, every ward has their own leaders who should be able to make decisions without undue external influence,’ he said.
He also said the party has a college of leaders for every senatorial district, adding any attempt to push aside any of the leaders in any senatorial district would spell doom for APC in Delta State.
Meanwhile, the deputy state chairman of the APC caretaker committee, Elvis Ayomanor, has commended leaders and stakeholders of the party in Delta North senatorial district for organising the party in the area.
Ayomanor thanked the immediate past Executive Director of Projects of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboh; and the present Executive Director on the board of NIMASA, and other leaders for their role in uniting the party in Delta North.
The deputy chairman who made the commendation in a solidarity message at the Delta North APC meeting urged them to remain united and resist attempts by some persons outside the zone to hijack the party by imposing ward, local government and senatorial party executives.
‘You have what it takes to rule this state on the platform of the APC but you have to be subjecting yourselves to Delta Central.
‘But I am glad that you have woken up from your sleep. 24 out of the 34 state executive members signed for this meeting to hold which means we are in majority. So we are passing a vote of confidence on Delta North,’ he said.