The All Progressives Congress (APC) South-south chapter has described as a ‘charade’ the purported state congress recently held in Cross Rivers state, declaring that such an illegality can never stand.
National Vice Chairman of the party in charge of the oil rich region, Hiliard Eta, while speaking in an interview Wednesday in Abuja with newsmen also said that the crisis in the state chapter was one out of several the Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu reconciliation committee was saddled with the responsibility of handling.
According to him, members of the group anchored their decision on “a purported” State Congress held on February 24th, 2018.
The South-south APC leader, however, enjoined all party members in the state and in the zone to remain calm and refrain from any action that could cast the party in bad light.
“I got a report today that one Etim John is going around calling himself the chairman of the APC in Cross Rivers State. First of all, I am the National Vice Chairman of the APC in the South South and Cross Rivers is one of the states under my supervision and I know that, that chapter is headed by Sir. John Ochalla as acting chairman.
“What purportedly happened on the 24th of February, 2018 after some people sat somewhere was not, I repeat, was not a congress of this party.
“It was a charade, it was a disgrace, it was shameful and the APC as a party built on the rule of law cannot be linked to that kind of shenanigans.
“We had made it clear before that charade took place, that the gathering; if it at all it held, would be a charade because among other things.
“They had been served with court processes, they had not given the people of Cross Rivers State 14 days as specified in our constitution, they had not given the Independent National Electoral Commission the 21 days notice as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
“All the known laws that we as operators of the APC; predicate our conduct on were blatantly violated. This cannot stand because we cannot fold our arms and watch a few individuals plunge this party into anarchy.”
