…Senator fingered in plot to destroy APGA, LP
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
CHAIRMAN of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Delta State, Hon Afamefune Enemokwu, has described the alleged crisis rocking the party as nonexistent, saying the whole thing was an evil machination of some few persons, who are now on the run, following a manhunt for them by the police for falsifying documents to destroy the party.
Enemokwu, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, said the claim by some persons that he had been suspended from office was a fallacy, revealing that a serving Senator was behind the crisis to destabilize APGA and Labour Party, LP, in the state.
Last month (March), a factional group in the party caused a stir in the state when it claimed that members of the state executive met at Isoko North area and slammed a suspension on the state chairman. The factional group announced the Deputy Chairman, Emmanuel Ibordor, as acting chairman, saying that it had passed a vote of no confidence on the state chairman for failing to summon meeting for over 10 months.
But Enemokwu, accompanied by the vice chairman and secretary of the party, Rev P. G Nwachukwu and Comrade Okproma Joseph respectively declared: “There is no crisis in APGA; the state executive is very much intact. All we are seeing is a group of people, about two members of the state executive, who have been bought over by some external forces to cause confusion in the party. The state executive has met several times and we are still meeting over the matter.”
Impersonators
On the allegation that a governorship aspirant on the party’s platform was behind the uproar in the party, Enemokwu asserted: “I am the state chairman of APGA; nobody has indicated interest as at now among APGA members that he or she is gunning for governorship. But somebody is using a leader inside the party to cause this problem.
We read in the newspaper that they said they met in Isoko…to do what? We never called any meeting in Isoko and we saw fictitious names and signatures, impersonators signing documents against the state executive that was elected and have their names with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.”
Police gun for impostors
The people who signed documents are unknown to us and INEC. We are surprised, hence we have sent a petition to the Police and police are doing their investigations. Some people have been invited; they disappeared till now because it is a case of forgery.
National leadership orders clampdown on impersonators
We have contacted our national body, they are fully aware of what is happening, we met with national body and they told us exactly what to do and that is what we are doing. We want to go into this matter and unmask the impersonators and possibly suspend or expel those who have soiled their hands and want to destroy APGA in Delta state.
Labour Party in the state is facing a similar threat like APGA, is this coming from the same direction?
Obviously yes, I discussed with the Labour chairman in the state, Chief Ezeagu recently and we were comparing notes. We are fully aware that the same person that is causing problem in Labour is the one causing problem in APGA. He is the sole financier of his purported crisis.
Vice chairman, secretary corroborate Enemokwu
Vice Chairman, APGA, Rev Nwachukwu and Secretary, Comrade Okproma, who also spoke to Saturday Vanguard on the issue, substantiated the claim of the chairman that the there was no crisis in the party, pointing out that some persons were being used to destabilize the party by outside forces.
Party fights back
Few days after the Isoko breach, the State Working Committee at an emergency meeting in Asaba, March 30, suspended seven leaders and members of the party, including the deputy state chairman, Emmanuel Ibordor and four party chairmen in Bomadi, Patani, Isoko South and Okpe local government areas of the state for anti-party activities.
The party inaugurated a seven-man disciplinary committee headed by Comrade Okproma to investigate their actions of the suspended members and report back within two weeks.
In a communiqué jointly signed by Hon Enemokwu and others, the party said: “Recalcitrant executive members who willfully and willingly continue in anti-party activities are hereby suspended.”
“A Disciplinary Committee made up of seven-members is hereby set up to invite them, hear them and make appropriate recommendations to this House within two weeks,” it said.
It added: “The purported suspension of our state chairman, Hon Afam Enemokwu on the pages of newspapers never took place because we, the members of the SWC, which is the highest ruling body of the party in the state, are not aware of the purported suspension.”
Meanwhile, Oshimili North local government chairman of the party, Bishop Uba and six other SWC members have dissociated themselves from an allegedly contrived letter by the suspended officials given the state chairman a 21-day ultimatum to summon an emergency meeting.