APC crisis: Ogar’s threat Can’t deter me from speaking out –Ex-Buhari’s aide, Obla 

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar 

The former presidential aide to President Mohammadu Buhari and Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Okoi Obono -Obla says he is ready  for any showdown from the Cross  River state party Chairman of APC , Alphonsus, whom Obla claimed threatened  to have him  disciplined for daring to call for his removal as party chair.

Obla made the remarks while commenting on  the issue during an interactive session with our Correspondent  in Calabar yesterday.

Obla had in a letter dated September 9, 2024 addressed  to the Cross River State governor Senator Bassey Edet Otu,  calling for suspension  of the  APC state party Chairman Alphonsus Ogar for daring to make statements  which Obla alleged were inciting against the leadership style of president Bola Tinubu’s economic policies in the social media space.

Making  such comments  on the social media space about the president’s economic policies  and hunger situation in the country amounts to inciting Nigerians to rise up against Mr.. president.

On the contrary, Ogar had  alleged  that Obla ‘s letter to the Governor  advocating  his suspension as party helmsman was abnormal as the letter is likely to bring disdain and  disrepute to his person as state  party chairs.

He alleged  that  Obla had no right  nor justification to carry out such advocacy  on his suspension as he  lacked the  powers,  wondering what could have given Obla the temerity to seek for his suspension.

 But in a swift reaction to Ogar’s comments, Obla  threatened to approach the court to kick Ogar out  from the party Secretariat for daring to make deriding comments against him even when he knows that he  has no clean  financial records to showcase  when called to do so during accountability as he had ran the party as an emperor.

He enumerated Ogar’s wrong doing to include,  factionalization, violation of party rules, stifling  of  party’s internal democracy  diverting 800 out of the 1000  bags of rice meant for vulnerable to his cronies.

Obla called on Ogar to  account for 10,000 bags of rice that he received from the federal government for the vulnerable people in  the state.

“I am waiting for Oga to discipline me. You can see his  pseudo democratic, dictatorial, oppressive and intimidatory  mindset.

“Ogar  threatened to discipline me for  expressing my opinion on matters  concerning the Party”.

Resorting to  the use of derogatory, insulting and gutter language to belittle me or obfuscate the fundamental issues, I had raised in my letter to the Governor, is a reflection of their poor home training.

“I have taken it upon myself to be an advocate  to speak up against dictatorship,oppression, and constitutionalism.

“Chicanery, feudalism ,retrogression and deviation,from the progressive credentials of the APC, that are being perpetrated by  the present State Exco, and nothing would deter me. 

“When we were founding the APC in 2013 ,where were these charlatans and opportunists ?Threatening to discipline me would not deter me from speaking out.

In his reaction to Obla’s call for suspension of APC state party Chairman, State party Chairman Barr. Alphonsus Ogar through the state publicity secretary, Emmanuel Edem Inyang, called for psychological examination, stressing that Obla’s allegations were baseless as they were meant to tarnish his good reputation.

“Okoi Obono-Obla’s conduct is unbecoming of someone who claims to be a senior lawyer and former presidential aide. His history of blackmail, crisis-mongering, and personal vendettas is well-known in Cross River State and indeed the entire Nation.

“We will not allow him to tarnish the image of our party or its leadership. He has no locus standi to institute any legal action against the party, and we will not hesitate to initiate disciplinary action if his reckless behavior continues. The release was maintained.