Usani, Obla Absent As Cross River APC Meets, To Resolve Leadership Crisis In State Congress

By Ogar Monday and Ushang Ewa

Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Usani Usani and Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla were two notable absentees as stakeholders of the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress met yesterday where the party agreed that issues surrounding the chairmanship position in the state executive council will be resolved in an appropriate state congress.

The duo according to sources have continuously disagreed following the former’s appointment as Minister with the acting Chairman, John Ochalla said to be favorably disposed to Obla’s camp and absent in meetings convened by Usani and Usani absent at meetings convened by Ochalla.

The meeting which CrossRiverWatch learnt is the first quarterly stakeholders meeting for the year 2017 held in Calabar yesterday where the party’s hierarchy debated on the way forward with emphasis on strategies to win the forthcoming local government elections as well as raising funds to run the secretariat.

Presided over by Ochalla, the meeting also saw stakeholders resolve that only the chairman will call for meetings and called on divisive elements to desist from calling meetings as aside the chairman, only two third majority of the executive could convene a meeting as stipulated in the party’s constitution.

The stakeholders also resolved that no political appointee has the right to call for a meeting in the name of the party and when such occurs, disciplinary actions will be taken against such the person or group of people.

Also, the legal counsel to the party in the state, Barrister Utum Eteng briefed the party’s hierarchy on the court injunction which bars Cross River Governor, Senator Ben Ayade from appointing caretaker chairmen for the 18 local government areas of the state with the hearing billed for Monday,  February 23, 2017.

Notable among those present was the National Vice Chairman South South of the party, Hilliard Eta,the Chairman of board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, Gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in the 2015 elections, Fidelis Ugbo, two term reps member, Honorable Paul Adah, former national spokesperson of the People’s Democratic PArtym Barrister Venatius Ikem, former NNPC top gun Prince JD Agba, and Alex Egbonna.