In Akwa Ibom, APC summons Chieftain over illegal stakeholders’ meeting



The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom state has summoned one of its founding members, Mr Sam Ewang, to appear before the State Working Committee (SWC) over illegal stakeholders’ meeting he convened on Sunday.
The state Chairman of APC, Dr Ita Udosen, who presided over the SWC made the decision known to newsmen during a media parley on Wednesday in Uyo.


Udosen said looking at the party’s 2014 constitution as amended, precisely article 25, page 89, Ewang had no legal right to convene a meeting outside the authority of the party chairman as well as the SWC.


According to him, “On the issue of illegal stakeholders’ meeting convened by a two-time Governor of Ogun and Rivers states and a founding member of APC in Akwa Ibom state, His Excellency Sam Ewang on Sunday. He (Ewang) quoted a section of the party’s constitution declaring himself as the BoT member and said he has power to convene a stakeholders’ meeting .


“Based on this, the state working committee wants to respectfully disagree with His Excellency. After consultations with the legal department, we want to respectfully inform him that he did not have such powers and he doesn’t have such powers to do that.
“I have to tell you that at national level in APC there is no BoT. It has never been appointed, no caucus has been inaugurated and at the state level, we have not inaugurated that. This is because, whatever we do we take the offshoot from the National Chairman.


“If I may refer you to the party’s constitution, article 25 page 89 of October 2014 as amended, you will discover that the power to convene any party meeting, call it APC stakeholders meeting, rests solely on the state chairman of the party, the state working committee and the state executive council.”


He hinted that at the close of the party’s registration and revalidation process carried out nationwide, the state has recorded over 700,000 membership, adding that the state might be first to submit it at the national secretariat.
Udosen, who commended the APC family for the peaceful conduct and conclusion of registration/ revalidation exercise in the state, said that the party in Akwa Ibom is very strong and  indivisible.


“As we are winding down the membership registration, we clock over 700,000 members of APC in Akwa Ibom state. APC has a membership register in every  electoral unit made up of about 2980. Akwa Ibom State might be the first state to submit their material to the national secretariat and I will be there in Abuja to witness it.
“Don’t listen to anybody that says APC registration in the state is a failure, it was hijacked and all sorts of baseless lies,” he said.
Reacting to the issue of support groups within the party, the APC Chairman advised all the sprinter organisations to register with the party to avert friction as the party is preparing for congresses.
Udosen, who noted that the party was not against the growth and formation of support groups, warned all officers of the party against becoming  coordinators let alone becoming members but to remain neutral.
“In times like this that we are going into congresses, you must have heard about support groups springing up here and there. Our party encourages the growth and formation of support groups, it is the group that will make the party thick and energetic.
“But, I have to announce that as from today, any support group within APC must come to the party secretariat and register with the party will give them the guidelines so that we know which support groups that are working within the ambien of APC. We need to identify them,” he said.

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