Former Governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections in Enugu State on Wednesday, accused the state caretaker chairman, Ben Nwoye of stirring another round of crisis in the party with the alleged inauguration of the ward executives of the party on Tuesday.
Loading ...Nwoye had on Tuesday inaugurated 5-man party executives in the 260 political wards in the state, said to have been elected last Saturday during the congress of the party at ward level.
He had said, “the leadership of the party gave us the go ahead to conduct the congress and there is nothing in our constitution that prohibits me from inaugurating you.”
Nwoye, also accused some leaders of the party of attempting to truncate the process.
But the former aspirants – Chief Tagbo Ogara, Chief Ben Eche and Mrs Ginika Tor as well other party leaders like Ejike Njeze- who addressed journalists on Wednesday in Enugu, accused Nwoye of acting ‘ultra vires’ because, according to them, he did not have the approval of the national secretariat of the party.
Speaking on behalf of the former aspirants and other stakeholders, Chief Eche described the action as unlawful, illegal and deserving disciplinary actions against him from the party leadership.
Eche noted that the congress was peaceful and violence free, with the congress committee collating the results with a view to submitting same to the national leadership of the party for ratification.
He said, “What Nwoye has done is not party process. The party process is well defined. The election result is announced in the wards. You know the elected people.
“The party guidelines say that seven days after the Congress, you bring in your matter for those that have grievances.
“The election took place on Saturday July 31, but, Nwoye inaugurated on 3rd of August in clear breach of the party guidelines. The result has not been released and the national body has not even endorsed the results. So, where does he get his grievances from, how much more inauguration? He has not even exhausted any internal mechanism of the party and he rushed to inaugurate.
“He was the one that accused the Congress committee members for the state of hijacking the results of the congress.
“The illegality is such that the party is supposed to have 27-member executives but what Nwoye inaugurated was 5-member executives from each ward.
“As far as we are concerned, the party caretaker chairman has acted ultra vires. He acted beyond his powers. It is not in his powers to do what he has done. It is illegal and it’s condemnable.
“We are therefore warning him to desist from the actions that are capable of plunging the party into another round of crisis. The party leadership should equally discipline him for such action”.
