Protest Rocks Ogboru/Omo-Agege Delta APC Factional State Congress

SaharaReporters observed that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, the state party leader, Mr. O'tega Emerhor, former speaker of the Delta state house of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, including other leaders, Mr. Cairo Ojuigboh, Mr. Pat Utimi were conspicuously absent during the parallel congress.

 

The Great Ogboru and Ovie Omo-Agege All Progressive Congress, (APC), factional state congress in Delta state was on Saturday marred with protest by some members of the party who were denied participation in the exercise held at the St Mulumba Secondary School, Okpanam, Oshimili North local government area of the state.

The leader of the protesters, Mr. John Azike, who was vying for the position of the state youth leader said he and other of his colleagues who wanted to contests for other positions in the state executive of the APC were denied participation.

"We reject in its entirety the kangaroo state congress that was conducted today. In spite of our shouting objection,  objection,  objection, the state Congress committee chairman ignored us. We were seriously shortchanged in the whole process and I can tell that what happened today is nothing but a sham carried out by the likes of Chief Great Ogboru and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to suit their greedy and selfish political ambition,” Azike said.

The congress was, however, concluded within 30 minutes under tight security

Mr. Jones Erue was returned as state chairman and 34 other members forming the parallel state executive was conducted by Senator Olugbenga Obadara, chairman of the Delta State Congress Committee, whose committee had earlier disbanded by the party's National Working Committee, (NWC).

Shortly after the Congress was concluded, the disbanded congress committee chairman, Olugbenga Obadara, who was visibly frightened throughout the 30 minutes exercise despite security protection, was whisked away for safety by security deployed to the venue.

SaharaReporters observed that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, the state party leader, Mr. O'tega Emerhor, former speaker of the Delta state house of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, including other leaders, Mr. Cairo Ojuigboh, Mr. Pat Utimi were conspicuously absent during the parallel congress.

Speaking with journalists, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege stated that the National Chairman and Secretary of the party l who postponed the Delta state Congress were not members of the National Working Committee, NWC, and therefore have no power to postpone the congress.

Meanwhile, in a postponement letter copied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signed by the party's National Secretary, Mr. Mai Mala Buni and obtained by our correspondent, APC had rescheduled the Delta state congress to Monday, May 21, 2018 with Mr. Eugene Odoh as the new Congress committee chairman while Mr. John Clark Dabwan will serve as the secretary and Jonathan Jibril, Ibrahim Nagogo, and Mezie Linus are members.

 Reacting to the parallel state congress, the APC 2015 governorship candidate and the state party leader, Mr. O'tega Emerhor described the Ogboru/Omo-Agege factional state congress as illegality stressing that the legally constituted Delta state Congress committee shall conduct the state Congress on Monday, May, May 21, 2018 at Asaba, the state capital.

Emerhor while enjoining all members of the party across the state to continue to remain law abiding, thanked and commended them for all the support given the party so far.