THE crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened on Saturday in Asaba as the Ogboru-Omo-Agege faction has purportedly held a parallel state congress which had earlier been shifted to Monday, May 21.
It will be recalled that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had rescheduled the State Congress to Monday, following an allegation that the chairman of the State Congress Committee could compromise the process.
The national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a letter on Friday, May 18, had informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its decision to shift the state congress to Monday, May 21, however, with no reason advanced.
In a letter, with reference number APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/018/12, duly signed by its National Secretary, Hon. Mai Mala Buni and addressed to the chairman of the INEC, the APC said it found it necessary to reschedule the exercise, which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, May 19, across the country.
The letter, which also called the attention of the Director, EPPM of the INEC to the development, read thus:
“We refer to our letter reference number: APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/018/12 dated 27th April 2018, in respect of the above-mentioned subject and wish to advise that we have rescheduled the conduct of our state congresses in Delta State to Monday 21st May 2018.
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“We thank you for your anticipated cooperation in this regard.”
The APC, as gathered, had postponed and rescheduled the state congress in the state over alleged surreptitious plans to compromise the congress committee.
The implication of the action of the Ogboru/Omon-Agege-led faction could suggest that only the Emerhor-led faction would be observing the State Congress rescheduled for Monday, May 21 even as it is not yet clear if the result of the Saturday’s parallel congress would scale through.
This is happening in spite of the Unity List said to have been endorsed by NWC to guide the conduct of the Congress to harmonize the two warring factions and end the horse-trading and shenanigans that characterised the Ward and local government Congresses.
The ugly development had led to an earlier ousting of the first chairman of wards and local government congress committee to the state, Alhaji Sani Dododo, who was accused of compromise and who was subsequently replaced by Hon Emmanuel Chindah.
Parallel congresses were still held in spite of the effort, but results arising from the parallel exercises were rejected by the NWC.
TribuneOnline had, however, reported that APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Friday, reportedly withdrew the Sen. Olugbenga Obadara-led State Congress Committee detailed to conduct the Delta State APC State Congress on Saturday when it was about to take a flight to Asaba.
Obadara, it was gathered, was suspected to be capable of doing the bidding of APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, hence his immediate withdrawal by Chief Oyegun who’s eyeing a return as national chairman of APC.
The Ogboru/Omo-mAgege faction is believed to be on the side of the Tinubu tendency while the Emerhor faction is said to be aligned to the outgoing Oyegun leadership.