29 January 2018
The Cross River state chapter of the All Progressives Congress has suspended the National Vice Chairman South-South and Cross River state Deputy Chairman of the party, Prince Hiliard Eta and John Ochala as well as deny the suspension of Pst. Usani Uguru Usani, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. This is contained in the rejoinder made yesterday by the State Executive Committee of the party in Cross River. See details :
REJOINDER BY DISTINGUISHED STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) TO THE PRESS RELEASE SPONSORED BY NATIONAL VICE CHAIRMAN SOUTH-SOUTH, PRINCE HILIARD ETAGBO ETA ON JANUARY 27, 2018 IN CALABAR, CROSS RIVER STATE ALLEGING THAT THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS, PASTOR USANI UGURU USANI, WAS SUSPENDED BY STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS(APC) ON THE SAID DATE.
1) The entire members of the state Executive committee of the party were utterly shocked to hear that there was a press conference sponsored by the National Vice Chairman South-South; Prince Hiliard Eta and Deputy State Chairman; John Ochala on print media alleging that the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, was suspended by the State Executive Committee of the Party. This publication is malicious, a propaganda, a cheap blackmail without any iota of truth, is misleading and intended to divide the party as the following may become manifest:
2) The Working Committee observed that there was no competent meeting validly called for 27/1/2018 in that the Notice of Meeting issued through a Text message on 24/1/2018 for Meeting billed for 27/1/2018, violates the Constitution of the ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) Constitution which requires at least 14 days for a valid meeting nay, there was no Agenda in the Text message billed for discussion in the meeting of the working Committee.
3) Chief of Staff to the National Vice Chairman South–South, Godwin Takus, in the Working Committee meeting proposed a motion for the suspension of Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, for participating in a meeting approved by National Chairman to appoint an acting State Chairman, a preliminary issue was raised that Deputy State Chairman who manifestly showed that he was interested in retaining the office of the acting State Chairman, was not competent to preside over an issue affecting his interest and a motion was moved for another member of the Working Committee to preside over the meeting and also that since the issue was not part of the Agenda in the meeting, it could not be competently discussed in the meeting, and these issues terminated the proceedings of the Working Committee of 27/1/2018.
4) There was no resolution by either the state working committee or the State Executive Committee of the ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) Cross River State suspending the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Pastor Usani Uguru Usani from the Party and no allegation was raised or is pending against him in the State Executive committee of the party.
5) Although the item of the suspension of Honourable Minister was not approved by the state working committee for discussion in the State Executive Committee, it was smuggled into the Agenda of the meeting of the State Executive Committee listed for discussion as item 6(b) -which item was rejected by the majority of Executive Committee Members of the Party. The meeting came to a rowdy session forcing the National Vice Chairman South-South; Prince Hiliard Etagbo Eta, John Ochala and their cohorts to leave the meeting shamefully.
6) The allegation predicating the purported suspension of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, is premised on his membership of a -15 man Committee approved by National Chairman to meet, resolve and appoint an Acting State Chairman for APC, Cross River State and it was yet to be discussed when John Ochala announced that he received security report that the meeting be called off and soon thereafter, the meeting ended unceremoniously and all members dispersed.
7) Also by the combined effect of the opening speech of John Ochala( presiding Chairman) and the briefing of Hiliard Eta; National Vice South –South, in the Executive committee meeting of 27/1/2018, sought to challenge the propriety of appointment of acting state Chairman pursuant to the approval by the National Chairman, an objection challenging the competence of John Ochala to preside over resolution of issues bothering on the seat of acting state Chairman, (which he has vested interest) was raised to the effect that it will constitute a fundamental breach of rules of fair hearing to be a Judge in his own cause, pursuant to article (21B sub i –iv and article 25F) of the constitution of ALL PROGRESSVES CONGRESS (APC).
8) The conduct of National Vice Chairman South-South in openly impugning and castigating the National Chairman for giving approval to leaders of cross River State of our party to midwife an acting state Chairman, the undersigned considered it uncivil, tainted, mischievous and an act of insubordination intended to disparage and bring to disrepute the person of His Excellency ,Chief John Odigie Oyegun and the office of the National Chairman of this great party, which we find found offensive, intolerable and we cannot put up with.
In view of the foregoing, the undersigned and distinguished members of the state Executive committee of the Party wish to state without equivocation that:
(i) We thank the National chairman of this great party; His Excellency, Chief Odigie Oyegun for affording our Leaders, the opportunity to resolve an acting State Chairman issue, for Cross River State, which we honestly believe will finally resolve and foster peace amongst all genuine and committed Party members in the state.
(ii) We undertake to be bound by the decision of the National Chairman in the resolution of the acting state chairman for Cross River state pending the ratification by the state Congress.
An in dept review of the activities of the National Vice Chairman South-South; Prince Hiliard Eta is nothing but inimical and portends grave danger for the Party in Cross River State and when considered against allegation being bandit around of his sinister plot in concerted efforts with his Co-travelers to deliver Cross River state to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2019 Presidential Election, puts the undersigned in the part of caution and circumspection, whereof, it becomes evident that their intention to destabilize the party is for tainted reasons.
WE thus resolved as follows:
(a) That we humbly place our unalloy loyalty and past a vote of confidence on the person of the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani and we reaffirmed our unflinching support for him as the uncontestable Leader of the party in the State.
(b) The Honourable Minister was never validly accused of any wrong doings against the Party in Cross River State or anywhere else and the alleged suspension is a nullity.
(c) The purported suspension of all state officers of the Party predicated on the processes pursuant to the appointment of Acting State Chairman are all null and avoid as none of the said suspensions were presented to the State Executive Committee of the Party for ratification.
(d) Prince Hiliard Etagbor having fully participated in the proceedings in the state Executive committee meeting and attacked the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, wherein, he described the meeting of the Elders committee as illegal and the decision in the said meeting appointing Acting state Chairman as nullity, is disqualified from participating in the Consideration of the Issues arising there from either at the Zone or at the National Executive of this Party as he has pre-judge issues yet to be submitted before his office.
(e) That the conduct of the Deputy state Chairman, John Ochala and National Vice Chairman South-South, Prince Hiliard Etagbor Eta is antithetical to the Provision of the Oath of office which they subscribed to protect the party constitution, nay, the future prospect of the Party in the state, thus, Prince Hiliard Eta and John Ochala are accordingly suspended from the party forthwith.
(f) That National Vice Chairman South –South in 2015 Presidential election had only 2(two) votes at AME Zion Primary School ,Diamond Hill polling Unit in Ward 5, Calabar Municipal Council Area, and the rumour of his plot and his surrogates to work for Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 Presidential Election is a fatal risk allowing him unleash damage before expelling him from the Party.
(g) Similarly, John Ochala, had no voter’s card during the 2015 general election and was not in his Gabu ward ,Yala Local Government for the said election. He is on a secret pay roll of the Governor of Cross River State and is being patronized with Contracts from the Governor of Cross River State.
RECOMMENDATION
Prince Hiliard Etagbo Eta , the National Vice Chairman South-South and John Ochala, the Deputy state Chairman (who claimed to be Acting State Chairman, though never appointed) are Political Liabilities and crises reddened and should be expelled by the National Executive Committee of this great Party.
We are:
Ekpe Owan Ayang —State Organising Secretary
Barr. Lazarus Undie —State Legal Adviser
Ekum Egork Ojogu —State Financial Secretary
Statilus Ikenga —State Welfare Secretary
