APC South-South Zone Insists National V’Chair, Secretary Must Go Despite NWC’s Intervention

The South-South zone of the All Progressives Congress APC has insisted that the National Vice Chairman for the zone, Victor Giadom, and the zonal Secretary, Ita Udosen must go despite intervention by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party.

Giadom and Udosen were accused of being responsible for the near-lacklustre performance of the party in the zone during the last presidential election.

At a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Acting Chairman of the party in the zone and incumbent South-South Zonal Organizing Secretary, Blessing Agbomhere, rejected the intervention from the NWC insisting the duo must go.

He stated that Giadom and Udosen will no longer act in their former positions since a vote of no confidence was passed on them by five of the eight zonal executive committee members.

THE WHISTLER reported that Giadom was removed on Saturday at a special meeting of the zonal officials in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, over alleged running the party with the secretary as their personal estates, refusing to convene meetings of relevant party organs where he was expected to render a financial account of the party as stipulated in the APC Constitution.

Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary had in a brief statement overturned the action of Agbomhere and four others, saying it was without any lawful or constitutional authority and therefore a nullity, that must be disregarded.

But Agbomhere at a news conference in Abuja faulted Morka of not being conversant with happenings in the zonal chapter of the party despite being from the zone.

He said; “Morka spoke in his personal capacity because every organ of the party has the power to discipline any of its officials by passing a vote of no confidence which was what five of us, out of eight, did on the Chairman and Secretary. Morka does not know our constitution.

“The NWC cannot by a mere statement waive aside our resolutions without first setting up a fact-finding committee to look into the issue and make recommendations to it before it can act.

“The ex-zonal chairman (Giadom) never mobilised for our party, the APC in the general election. He never supported our candidate.

“The zonal officers of the South-South had their extraordinary meeting, and, in that meeting, we are 8 officers in the zone, all of us were present. The constitution requires that we call for a zonal meeting at least once in every quarter and for almost six months now, he (Giadom) has not called for a meeting.

“He has been running the party alone and doing whatever he likes with the party. Every attempt to make the secretary call for a meeting also failed. He and the secretary were running the party together, without carrying the other six executive members of the zone along.

“Even after the elections were over, there have been a series of petitions and suspensions from across the states in the region.

“The zone is supposed to set up a committee that would receive these petitions, do fact-finding to find out what is wrong and find ways to resolve these issues in the zone but Giadom allowed the zone to be enveloped in internal disputes because he does not care”.

Agbomhere while applauding the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said, “If zonal officers decide to work for a candidate in their zone, you know what that means. You can see that PDP won our zone.

“The only state we won in the South-South was because of the efforts of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. I do believe that on behalf of the zone, we must appreciate Governor Wike for the support he gave to us.

“If a member of an opposition party can come out to work for our party, what do you think would have been required from our own officials? They failed the party and worked against the interests of the APC.”

Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the NWC, Agbomhere said the zone would transmit a letter notifying the leadership of the party of current developments in the zone, adding that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect administration will reorganise the party.

He said, “I can confirm that Asiwaju and Shettima have 100 ideas to rescue Nigeria and set her on the path of greatness within the first 100 days in office. This is why we keep supporting him.

“We are ready to fight anybody bent on frustrating democracy in Nigeria. This is the first time in Nigeria that we will be having a pure democrat coming to occupy the Office of the President.

“Asiwaju is not in the league of Giadom and his masters. He is in the league of Obafemi Awolowo, Lee Kuan Yew, and others.