Crisis: APC leaders demand for immediate removal of state chairman in C’River 

From Ene Asuquo,Calabar

The leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River at the state Chapter and ward executives have called from the immediate removal of the state chairman, Alphonsus Eba from the office.

The Nations News reports that the leaders of APC in the state and ward executives have allegedly rejected the state chairman, Eba, vowing that they will no longer work with him.

The party executives  made this  known at a combined meeting of the Forum of 196 Ward Chairmen, Chapter chairmen, and  chapter secretaries of the party in Calabar, the state Capital.

Speaking during the meeting, Frankline Egbai from the Biase Local Government chapter expressed deep dissatisfaction with the treatment of ward executives by the State party chairman.

“I feel sad about the allegations against the state chairman and the poor treatment meted out to ward executives”.

 He continued, “It is shameful that ward executives are given twenty thousand naira to share among twenty seven members. We are being treated as insignificant by the state chairman”.

“Sometimes, we go home with five hundred naira per person per month as party leaders at the ward level”, he stated.

Another youth leader from Calabar south local Government, Mr Bassey Ekpenyong, questioned the leadership quality of the state chairman saying they reject the vote of confidence earlier passed on him

“We are not part of it and we stand firmly with the Forum of Chapter Chairmen in calling for his resignation. We worked tirelessly in 2023 to ensure the party’s victory and now they want to shortchange us.”

The Vice Chairman of Obubra and Chairman of the Vice Chairmen Forum, Elder William Ovat, also denounced the earlier vote of confidence.

He insisted that based on the allegations of corruption we have seen and heard at the state leadership level, we align with the Forum of Chapter Chairmen in adopting the communique calling for the chairman’s resignation.”

Chairman of chairmen forum and chapter chairman of Boki High Chief Kelvin Njong said the fight is a collective one against the state chairman and also a revolution.

He also decried the lopsided allocation of statutory Party funds by the present state executive.

“Local Government Areas and Wards comprising of 5,778 Party Officials go  with N9,200,000 (Nine Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only), whereas the State Exco with just 36 members take over N40,000,000 (Forty Million Naira Only). This is gross injustice”, he said.

The chapter and ward leaders also rejected a planned meeting with the state chairman, Alphonsus Eba saying they will not take part in it until their demands were met.