Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The fresh crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got messier on Monday when the enlarged State Executive Committee (SEC) removed the state secretary of the party, Chidi Okonji, over alleged insubordination, gross dereliction of duty among other accusations.
The executive committee at a meeting in Asaba presided over by the state chairman, Jones Erue also immediately sworn-in Alex Nwadiamu as Okonji’s replacement.
Also sworn-in were the new deputy state chairman, Moses Ogodo, three zonal chairmen, state woman leader, and two others as replacements for those earlier suspended by the party.
But in a swift reaction, the sacked state secretary, Mr. Okonji described the action as unconstitutional, noting that the state chairman was unable to muster the two-third majority required to remove him as secretary.
Okonji urged the state chairman to go and face the investigative committee which he had earlier set up to try the chairman over allegations of financial impropriety.
Meanwhile, the state chairman of the party, Mr. Erue has accused the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Great Ogboru of being responsible for the abysmal failure of the state APC in the elections.
Erue alleged that Ogboru single headedly substituting candidates who were chosen during primaries with his cronies for elective positions during the 2019 elections.
The state party chairman further alleged that Ogboru embezzled over N2 billion which was given to him for the prosecution of the elections.
Reacting to the allegations against him, Ogboru described the state chairman “a pathological liar.”
He denied embezzling the funds meant for the party’s campaign during the last governorship election in the state.
“No election money was embezzled by me. If there’s money meant for election, it’s for election. I am not answerable to Erue because it was not state party money. It’s my duty as the governorship candidate to disburse it and that was what I did.
Ogboru blamed Erue for “fuelling crisis in the party. Between me, and the chairman who illegally suspended five APC council chairmen and his deputy and others, who is fuelling crisis? He suspended them without following the due process. He won’t go with this. He is leaving as chairman this time around.”
Regardless, Erue told journalists in Asaba that the swearing-in of the new members of the State Executive Committee (SEC) was meant to rejig and rejuvenate the party for success in future elections
“My party is going in the direction of rejuvenation, rejigging it and putting new life into it,” he said.