by crossriverwatch admin
Following the large scale irregularities that characterized the ward congresses in Cross River State, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has ordered the postponement of the state congress in Cross River state.
Announcing the postponement of the congress at a stakeholders meeting in Calabar, last Friday, Chairman of the state congress committee, Dr. Ernest Osifo, said irregularities were reported in 59 out of the 196 wards as well as in 7 out of the 18 local council areas of the state adding that the affected areas have therefore had their initial congresses cancelled.
The affected council areas according to Osifo are; Odukpani, Etung, Ikom, Akpabuyo, Biase, Yala and Bakassi.
He said the postponement of the state congress will enable the committee to sought out grey areas in the affected wards and council areas and ensure that the rescheduled state congress will be valid.
Dr. Osifo disclosed that the remaining 11 council areas whose congresses had not been cancelled were not enough to meet the two third requirements for the conduct of the exercise going by the party’s constitution hence the postponement.
He announced that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had also expressed concern over the irregularities and has written to the party warning against the consequences of going ahead with the exercise without addressing the grey areas.
The cancelled ward and local government congresses have been tentatively rescheduled for the first week of next month while the state congress may come up later in May prior to the national convention of the party on May 24.
Commenting on the postponement, Former State Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Hilliard Eta said the development was a healthy one which would allow the party achieve validity and normalcy in the outcomes of the congresses adding that the previous exercise had been characterized by massive fraud allegedly perpetrated by hirelings of the ruling PDP in the state with the aim of destroying the APC’s reputation.
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