Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama on Saturday emerged a national delegate in a parallel congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, also emerged national delegate in a separate congress in the same local government area.
Onyeama, who described the exercise as `transparent and democracy in action’, said that the parallel congresses became inevitable due to a deliberate plan to disenfranchise a significant number of party faithful in the state.
“We even saw one of the candidates concede to the other. This is what we want to see in the country and I am very proud of the party faithful in Udi Local Government Area.
“This is a parallel congress and we have quite a lot to sort out. We have done everything possible to merge the two groups and ensure an excellent democratic process,” he said.
The minister blamed the state chairman of the party as well as the congress committee for the problems encountered in the state.
“The chairman of the congress committee for Enugu State claimed that the party national chairman said he should only meet and work with the state chairman who is also competing.
“So you can imagine a situation where the person who is interested in being elected is the one to carry out the election.
“The state chairman now keeps all the forms for himself and those he favours and completely excludes everybody else.
“We cannot allow that to happen and that was why we went on with the parallel congress,” he said.
Meanwhile, the other congress held at the party secretariat at 9th Mile Corner also in Udi returned Okechukwu as the national delegate from the local government area.
Okechukwu said that the APC was poised to consolidate on its achievements in the past few years.
He said that the Federal Government was ready to give the South East a good deal, adding that efforts were on to tap the coal deposits in Enugu.
Okechukwu also said that the Federal Government had awarded a good number of roads in the zone and was still ready to award more of such contracts.
When contacted, the Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Ben Nwoye, denied knowledge of any parallel congress in the state.
Nwoye said that the insinuation that the APC was divided in the state was wrong adding that no parallel congress held.
“Ask the person who told you that we had parallel congresses to show you a copy of his payment receipt for his nomination form.
“Ask him who conducted the congress for him. Ask him whether INEC and DSS observed his congress,” Nwoye said.
In a remark, Chief Emma Eneukwu, the National Vice Chairman of APC for South-East, lauded the conduct of the congress in Udi council area stressing that the exercise was “free, fair, transparent and credible’’.
Eneukwu described all those who attended the congress as very committed and trusted party men, pointing out that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the media were fully represented.
The congress in the council was attended by party bigwigs from the council, which included the state Acting Women Leader, Mrs. Oby Nwofor.
Members of the Udi local government executive of the party were also elected during the congress.
They include Mr Jude Anyadibe as Chairman; Mr Pascal Ojielo as the Deputy Chairman; Mr Felix Okafor as Secretary; Mrs Mabel Owoh as Women Leader; Sylvester Onyia as the Treasurer among others.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Judicial Reform, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku, also emerged a national delegate representing the women in the congress that returned the minister.
Also in Kogi State, APC held parallel congress in Lokoja Local Government.
On May 6, the ward congress by the APC was plunged into confusion, as both Audu/Faleke and Governor Yahaya Bello factions held separate exercises.
The development led to emergence of two parallel executives of the party in the local government.
In Lokoja Local Government , the parallel congresses were held at the St Luke Primary School, Adankolo and Lokoja Local Government hall.
While the faction led by the state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, held its congress at St Luke Primary School, the Alhaji Ibrahim Ahovi led faction held its own inside the hall.
Mr Usman Mamanlafia emerged Chairman at the Congress that took place at St LukePry School while Mr Maikudi Bature, was elected the new Chairman at the Congress which held at the local government hall.
The elections went peacefully at the two venues with the presence of 248 delegates from the 10 wards in Lokoja Local Government
The Congress held at St Luke Primary School was supervised by INEC officials while policemen were on ground to provide security.
Speaking shortly after, Mailafia pledged to run an inclusive administration , urging aggrieved party members to close ranks.
Bature who emerged winner at the factional Congress held inside the local government hall promised to meet the expectations of party members in the council area.
Earlier , the Chairman of the Congress Committee, Mr Haruna Isah had while announcing the result said that Bature and other executive members emerged by affirmation.
He said that all the 248 delegates from the 10 wards in the local government participated in the Congress.
Isah described the Congress as peaceful, saying that the party’s laid down rules and INEC guidelines were duly followed.
In Lagos, the exercise ended abruptly in
Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area as delegates rowdily disagreed on the election of some candidates.
The congress, which started around 1pm, had been peaceful until commotion erupted over the choice of candidates.
Trouble started when the electoral officers announced some names as elected executive members after a voice vote by the delegates.
Some party members opposed to the announced names protested noisily, resulting in a bedlam.
Appeals to party members to maintain the peace by the Chairman of the council, Mr Oloruntoba Oke, were not heeded as supporters of the opposing candidates engaged in a shouting match.
The situation almost degenerated into violence, but for the intervention of security personnel around who prevented members from fighting one another.
The electoral officer, thereafter, had to be whisked away by security officials after attempts to attack them.
The council Chairman said the congress had been orderly before the commotion.
He said the congress was almost concluded when some members noisily disagreed over some candidates.
Toba, however, expressed the optimism that the issue would be resolved amicably by the leadership of the party in the state.
“Disagreements are normal in politics. We will be trusting the leadership of the party to resolve the issue. I have no doubt that everything will be resolved “,he said.
In Agege LG, Mr Jubreel Abdulkareem, a chieftain in the area, faulted the exercise in the council saying no congress was held.
Abdulkareem, the former Executive Chairman of the council told newsmen that some delegates were denied access to the venue.
Abdulkareem said that following the crisis that greeted the ward congress on May 5, an apex leader of the party, Prof. Tunde Samuel, called a peace meeting before the congress where the posts were shared between the two camps.
He said that only delegates from one camp were called to vote, hence there was agitations from the other camp.
He claimed that one person was shot in the imbroglio that followed.
An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, said that the reading of list of delegates, which favoured one faction, triggered the crisis.
He said there was shooting from inside the venue and a bullet hit a man at the gate of Central Primary School, Oniwaya, Agege, where it held.
Efforts to confirm the shooting and arrests by the police were however unsuccessful, as the Lagos Police spokesman, SP Chike Oti, promised to get back but had yet to do so at the time of filing this report.
However it was a different situation at Ayobo/Ipaja Local Council Development Area as the congress ended peacefully.
The congress which started 10 am at St. Andrews Primary School, ended with delegates electing party executive members by consensus.
There was jubilation by party members, who danced around the venue after a successful congress.
Mr Bisi Yusuf, a member of the state House of Assembly (Alimosho) who was present at the congress commended members for peaceful conduct.
He said he was proud that the exercise ended without rancour or violence.
Yusuf said politics should be about understanding and not violence or desperation.
“I am happy at the conduct. I thank all party members for the success.
“Ipaja /Ayobo has done it again. Everyone is happy with the results.
“You see, politics should not be about desperation or rancour. It should about understanding.
“We have demonstrated that today and everybody is satisfied “,he said.
He commended the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for laying the foundation for peaceful conduct of the congress.
He said Tinubu’s constant appeals to members to always be peaceful had yielded the desired results in Ayobo/Ipaja.
Yusuf urged members to continue to maintain peace in the area to ensure success of future elections.
In Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, the exercise started by 11 :30 am, with heavy presence of policemen and oficers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Mr Olukayode Aina-Gold, one of the APC State external observers, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful and orderly conduct of the Congres.
“Honestly, I am overwhelmed because initially I was sceptical.
“I didn’t want to come, I thought there might be some rancour and alot of disorganisation but on getting here, I am happy with the conduct and orderliness,” he said.
The 27 Local Government Executive Officers were uncontested and the nominated executives were ratified by the voters from the seven wards of the LCDA.
The Agbado Oke Odo LCDA Chairman, Mr Augustine Arogun, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the congress.
Arogun said: “Our congress is very peaceful because we carried everybody along including the leaders and the stakeholders in Agbado Oke Odo.
“We always involve them and that is why we have no opposing camps because we are all involved.
“All we did was just ratification because there was no serious opposition as all the leaders had input on the list we put forward for those to be elected into the executive.”
He, however, advised party members who were dissatisfied with the outcome of the congresses in the state so far to dialogue with the leaders in order to resolve the matter in a family way.
In Mushin, security personnel, such as the Police and Civil Defence were stationed around the venue to avoid social miscreants from disrupting the exercise.
The election which started at 10am ended at 11:30am.
The Executive Chairman, Mushin Local Government, Mr Olarenwaju Bamigboye, commended the peaceful election.
Bamigboye said: “The election is very free and well conducted. Our party members are more compassionate in this exercise.
“They have really composed themselves very well to ensure that there is a free and fair election today,” he said.
The chairman said the newly elected chairman for the party in the area won unopposed.
Bamigboye said the future of APC was very bright in the sense that the party would always organise themselves very well.
“We have to move forward and we have to advance ourselves and gone are those days that we are desperate to win,” he said.
In Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), delegates adopted consensus candidates at the congress.
Party delegates were screened before being allowed into the venue under the watch of security agencies.
Mr Odeniyi Odeyemi, a delegate from Ward C said: “We are very happy that the process was peaceful and we thank God that the will of people prevailed without opposition.’’
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Rasheed Makinde, commended the party leaders and members for the spirit of oneness in the area.
According to him, the leadership of APC in Ojokoro LCDA had come together with a single list, which the LOC (Local Organising Committee) read out to everybody and all agreed to it.
“This is a sign that our party is moving forward and it is a good omen for our democracy,’’ Makinde said.
He said the development was a sign of maturity and harmony and the progress of the party.
Mr Thaddius Uwanaka, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Officer, who monitored the Congress, expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the delegates.
The Congress was held across the local governments in the state.
Some delegates at the APC Local Government Congress in Lavun, Niger State, protested against the return of the party chairman, Alhaji Muhammed Ndagba in the area.
Ndagba had been returned as chairman by affirmation against some delegates plan to field another candidate to contest for the position of chairman.
After the congress, the aggrieved delegates arrived Minna in several buses and attempted to lodge their complaints before Governor Abubakar Bello but were prevented by security men from entering the Government House, Minna.
Malam Mohammed Dakpachi, leader of the protesting group told newsmen that “there was no election on May 5 during the ward congress and also today during the local government congress.
“We are not against consensus candidate but if there will be any, the people should be consulted and carried along but we weren’t consulted. Democracy is about consultation and rubbing of minds but that wasn’t done.
“We have expressed our feelings and if nothing is done, most of us will move to another party.
“We are not rubber stamp politicians, we must be carried along,’’ he said.
But in his reaction, Ndagba that those delegates, are not “real members of the APC”.
He said that all members had agreed to consensus candidacy during the ward and local government congresses.
The local government congresses were peaceful and orderly in other parts of the state where all the local government executives were returned unopposed.
Similar to what happened during the ward congresses the local government executives were all returned by affirmation in line with the decision of the stakeholders that met at a meeting in government house two weeks ago.
Earlier, Governor Bello commended delegates for peaceful conduct of the Local Government congresses of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
He gave the commendation while monitoring the APC local government congress at Habibu Shuaibu Sport Complex in Chanchage Local Government Area on Saturday.
In Oshimili South Local Government, Asaba, Delta State, parallel executives also energed.
While the congress at Oshimili South party Secretariat, Asaba re-elected the former Chairman, Chief Ben Onwuka, Mr Chuka Nwabugwu was elected at the one that took place at the Ogwa-Uku in Umuaji, Asaba.
In an interview with newsmen, Onwuka, who identified himself as the re-elected APC Chairman in Oshimili South LGA described the exercise as peaceful and transparent.
According to Onwuka, the internal democracy of the APC was clear and practical during the elections.
“There is no victor, no vanquish, it was an internal democracy in the APC as all positions were dully contested and candidates elected.
“There is no gain saying that there are no prodigal sons in the party but we are expecting them to back because we are one family, our common enemy is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We must work together in the state to fight and take over power from PDP in Delta in 2019,” he said.
On the congress that produce Mr Nwabugwu as Chairman, Mr Festus Oyibo, Chairman, Congress Committee, Oshimili South LGA, also said that the congress was peaceful and transparent.
Earlier, Mr Emmanuel Chinda, Chairman, Delta LGA Congress told newsmen that his team was committed to delivering on credible elections to avoid the pitfall of the last week’s ward congress in the state.
He said that materials for the elections were duly dispatched to ensure peaceful, smooth and rancour free elections.
“Our desire is to take over power from the PDP in the state and I am impressed at the level of cooperation and maturity our party members and supporters have demonstrated this morning as they came to collect the materials,” Chinda said.
The exercise was peaceful and election materials were distributed to various LGAs before noon.
