A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Cross River state led by Godwin Etim John has rejected the suspension of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, saying the “the constitution of the party is clear on cases of suspension.”
While the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party recognises the faction led by John Ochala which produced Senator John Owan Enoh, Senator Ndoma Egba amongst others as candidates in the elections, the Federal High Court and Abuja High Court said Godwin Etim John’s faction, which has Pastor Usani Usani as governorship candidate, is the authentic executive committee of the party in the state.
Addressing Journalists in Calabar, Sunday, the Director General of Usani Campaign Organization, Ekpenyong Cobham, said the party’s constitution “clearly sites circumstances and outlines procedures to be taken to warrant and effect suspension,” adding that “if any suspension exists, Usani has not received any notification from any organ of the party regarding any form of suspension.
According to him, any suspension which does not follow extant laws of the party does not exist, arguing that the loyalty of Pastor Usani to the cause of the APC has made him the symbol of the party in Cross River state .
The party Chieftain explained further that the minister “has shown sufficient loyalty by helping the party poll 722 votes against PDP’s 2 votes (in his polling unit) and more than 4000 votes for APC against less than 1000 votes for PDP in his Abanankpai council ward in the just concluded presidential elections,” and that “Usani is the APC leader in the state to produce his federal constituency representatives in the last Saturday’s general elections.”
He advised the public to disregard any rumour of purported suspension of Usani because, according to him, such rumours were meant to dismiss the fortunes of the party in the March 9, 2019 polls, adding “the status quo as per the last known declarative orders of court still holds Usani’s candidacy.”
The DG also described as misleading and misinterpretation of fact the media reports that the Appeal Court sitting in Calabar had pronounced John Owan Enoh as governorship candidate of APC in March 9, 2019 governorship contest, explaining that the ‘Stay of Execution Order’ issued by the court did not stamp legitimacy on Senator John Owan Enoh as party candidate.
