Delta APC Congress: Keyamo, Ojougboh, others reject result; insist on consensus list
All is not well with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State as a faction styled the APC Delta Leaders’ Council has accused some stalwarts of the party of working to trade with future of the party in the state.
The group also said it would not recognize the party’s congress in the state describing it as a sham. It charged the party’s faithful across the state to remain focused and steadfast in the face of any provocation.
The council in a statement in Abuja also assured members of the APC in Delta that they would be redeemed and rescued from the hands of those who want to trade with the party’s future.
The statement was jointly signed by Mr Festus Keyamo, Chairman of the council and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr Alex Ideh its Co-Chairman, and Dr Cairo Ojougboh, Secretary of the council.
Others are Chief Great Ogboru, 2019 Delta APC Governorship Candidate, Victor Ochei, former Speaker, Delta House of Assembly, Dr Mariam Ali, and George Timinimi, Leader Ijaw Nation and 12 others.
“We enjoin all APC faithful across Delta to remain focused and steadfast.
“We assure them that the party will be redeemed and rescued from the hands of those who want to trade what we all suffered to build for their selfish ends.
“The leaders and executives of the party in Delta would be calling general meetings of all APC faithful across the three Senatorial Districts of the state to reassure you that we are ready to take over Delta from PDP come 2023,” it said.
The council, however, said it was not part of the party’s State Congresses, saying it was a sham that should not be recognised or accepted.
“We are calling on the national leadership of the party to cancel and declare that sham they call congress, null and void.
“We stand on the initial position of the party, and present the original consensus Ward to State Executive list as directed by the leadership of the party.
“This was put together by the leaders and stakeholders of the party from across all tendencies and factions within the party here in Delta.
“We would not recognise any other executive other than the consensus executives put together by the leaders and stakeholders, which have been affirmed as the Wards, Local Government Areas and State Executives by all APC faithful across the state,” it said.
It explained that along with majority of the State Executive Committee members, a resolution was reached on consensus executive list from Wards, Local Government Areas and the state executives.
It added that the agreement was executed in line with the APC National Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) directives.
It said the consensus list was put together and presented to the party as agreed and should be honoured.
The leadership of the CECPC inaugurated the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun South-South Reconciliation Committee to reconcile all aggrieved parties within the South-South States, which included Delta.
The committee met severally and proffered solutions to the leadership crisis in Delta APC, by setting up a Delta Leaders’ Council comprising of 12 members, with four from each Senatorial District of the state.