By CrossRiverWatch admin
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has apologized to the former governor of Cross River State and elder statesman, Chief Clement Ebri for the embarrassment he may have suffered following claims that he was suspended by the Mkpani Ward branch of the party.
Executives of the party in Ebri’s home town, Mkpani had announced the suspension of the elder statesman from the party after accusations bothering on anti party activities.
But most people viewed the move of the Mkpani exco as being engineered by the Minister of Niger Delta, Usani Usani who is battling for control of the party in the state with new entrants like Chief Ebri, Ndoma Egba and Jedy Agba.
But the national body of the party quickly chided the Ward excos and threatened to suspend them arguing that they do not have powers to discipline Ebri who is a member of the Party’s Board of Trustees, BoT.
The party later set up a committee to look into the circumstances leading to the stalemate. The committee is headed by Chief Segun Oni, former Ekiti State governor and National Vice Chairman of the APC, South West with the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Chief Chibudom Nwuche and the National Vice Chairman South South, Prince Hilliard Ettah and others as members.
The committee met with the Ward Excos and the Zonal Exco on Thursday 21 April at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
While briefing CrossRiverWatch after the meeting, member of the committee and National Vice Chairman of APC South South, Prince Hilliard Ettah said: “First and foremost, the party has formally apologized to His Excellency Chief Clement Ebri, former governor of Cross River state for any embarrassment he may have suffered from the overzealousness of the Mkpani ward excos of our party.
“There was no time Chief Ebri was ever suspended from the party and we have also asked those who made that frivolous announcement to apologize to the former governor in writing. Though they have not done that, we are waiting for them to do that, failing which the party will discipline them. Chief Clement Ebri is a member of our Board of Trustees and the Ward exco have no powers to discipline him.”