By Jonathan Ugbal
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. John Oyegun has constituted a new ward congress committee for Cross River State.
The committee is to be headed by Major General AT Umar (rtd) from Nassarawa state and he is billed to organize the congresses which failed to hold on Sunday, May 5, 2018.
This was disclosed by the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.
“A New Committee has been constituted by the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress Chief John Oyegun to Conduct Wards and Local Government Area Councils Congress in Cross River State,” Obla wrote.
“The Chairman of the Cross River State Wards and Local Government Area Councils Congresses Committee is retired Major General AT Umar from Nassarawa State.
“Recall that the Wards Congresses scheduled for Saturday the 5 May 2018 in Cross River State was stalemated and marred by allegations that some powerful chieftains of the Party tried to hijack the process!” He added.
This comes on the heels of the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Cross River State command, CP Hafiz Inuwa denying authorization of the release for the failed APC ward congress on Sunday.
He told Daily Post on phone on Monday, that: “The Command has not released any material to any APC member for the conduct of the congress in the state.
“The stakeholders agreed amongst themselves after their disagreement on Saturday that they will not enthrust the congress materials to any of them and brought them to the Police.
“They handed over the materials to the area commander in his office. Even in the night (Sunday) and even after 12 mid night (Monday), up to the time I am talking to you, the area commander has not told me that he has released the materials to anybody, he cannot release the materials without my instruction.”
Mr. Inuwa also said the Police had “prevented blood bath on Saturday and if not for the quick intervention of the Police, what we would have heard today would have been devastating.
“What is being alleged by some of them is becoming evident now that some people just wanted to sideline others and we are not politicians, so we are not into their games, ours is to maintain law and order.”
When contacted, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Cross River State, Dr. Frankland Briyai on Monday, said his electoral officers in the eighteen local government areas of the state were yet to report to him on the development.
“This morning, I saw one of my electoral officers (EO) and they have not given me any report, I can only make a statement when I receive all the reports.
“I am waiting for the report, I wasn’t with them in the local government areas, it is only in the report that I can say, there was congress or not but for now let me wait until the reports are submitted, when I receive the report, I will call the press and address them.”
As at press time, the REC was yet to make pronouncement on the issue or address the press on the situation on ground.
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