Over 500 APC Members Protest Over Ebonyi’s “Fraudulent State Congress”

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, Politics Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Abakaliki,

No fewer than 500 aggrieved Members of the All Progressives Congress APC in Ebonyi State, on Tuesday staged a protest against the leadership of the state congress committee, accusing them of irregularities.

The protesting APC members, alleged that the congress committee, engaged in fraudulent activities in the conduct of the Tuesday, exercise in the state.

They protested around Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital and environ, pointing accusing fingers on the state chairman of the committee, Mrs. Ndu Adenisi, and her team of not following the laid down guidelines.

The protesters also accused the committee of falsifying results of the congresses.

They said: “If there should be a state congress, they should shift it to another day or send new people because the state congress committee is already bias.”

The APC protesters were armed with placards with inscriptions such as: “No more congress under Mrs. Ndu”, “Mrs. Ndu is biased”, “Mrs. Ndu is agent of PDP”, “Mrs. Ndu is our problem of delaying APC congress in Ebonyi”, “Ebonyi APC has lost confidence on Mrs. Ndu and her team”.

However, a chieftain of the party, Elder Sam Igwe, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, had accused the committee of collecting bribes from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the state to destablise the opposition party.

He said they were against the state congress since the outcomes of some local government congresses were still inconclusive.

Igwe, further stated that the enemies in and outside the party have joined hands and paid her (Adenisi) heavily that is why “she was misbehaving, denying and insulting the personalities of party in the state.”

The APC stalwart, who was the state chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria also, alleged that the Adenisi-led committee has been bought over by the Peoples Democratic Party in the state “through the help of the leaders and chieftains of our party in the state who are secretly working for the PDP.”

He said, “The woman entertains visitors up and down. With the kind of government convoys that enter the hotel she is staying, it is obvious she has been paid heavily to destablise the party in the state”, Igwe maintained

“Our problem is not the issue of factions again, because in every political party you can not rule out the issue of factions. The issue of faction is not our headache in as much as they are ready to follow due process. This is out of every faction. She is looking for a higher money from the government and that is why she is causing problems from one place to the other.”

Another stalwart of the party, Mr. Bernard Ebele, said they were angry because the committee has failed to publish results of the ward congress so that delegates of the state congress would know themselves.

“The people are angry with the committee from Abuja. The have conducted ward congresses but they have failed to publish the results, so that who is a delegate will know that he is a delegate. This is showing us that the woman is bias. She is an agent of PDP. She should go,” he said

When contacted for reaction via her mobile phone, Mrs. Adenisi simply said, “I’m in a meeting” and never called back until the time of filling this report.

However, there was heavy presence of armed policemen at the gate of the party secretariat, venue of the state congress to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order.