by crossriverwatch admin
The National Executive of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has accused the government of Cross River State of hijacking the leadership of the organization in the state and attempting to imposed a new exco while the former has not been dissolved.
CNPP also disowned the purported inauguration of a new executive for the Cross River State chapter, describing those claiming to be the new leaders of CNPP in the state as impostors.
A group of politicians from different political parties in the state had on Tuesday purportedly inaugurated a new executive at the cultural centre complex, Calabar, even when the incumbent executives led by the embattled state chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Cletus Obun was said not to have been dissolved.
Obun was removed from office by some members of the ACN, who accused him of not giving purposeful leadership which they claimed had affected the expansion of the party in the state. They consequently elected Mr. Hillard Eta to pilot the affairs of the ACN in the state.
This action led to the purported removal of Mr. Cletus Obun as the state CNPP chairman with those behind the action arguing that since he has lost his position as ACN chairman, he cannot continue as the CNPP chairman.
Crossriverwatch gathered that no national executive member of CNPP attended the purported inauguration of the new officers.
Obun had claimed that he was still the chairman of the state ACN and that he had all the evidences to prove that he still remains the party chairman as well as the state chairman of CNPP.
In a telephone interview with crossriverwatch, the National Secretary of CNPP, Chief Willie Ezugwu said that the executive of the state CNPP led by Obun was still intact and that the leadership had not been dissolved by the national body.
Chief Ezugwu who said that it was his responsibility to inaugurate any new executive said that nobody had written to him about any dissolution of the Cross River State chapter of CNPP and described those behind the purported inauguration as impostors.
He said it was not to his knowledge that there was any problem in CNPP in the state and that if there was any problem, the national leadership of the body should be informed.
“If there is any problem in the CNPP in Cross River State, the authentic chairman, Cletus Obun would have told us. Nobody has written to us that there is going to be inauguration. I inaugurated the executive there, I have not dissolved the exco.
“As far as I am concerned, Cletus is still the chairman of CNPP. You cannot wake up and announce that there is inauguration when there is no dissolution. If there is anything like that they should call us and inform us,” he said.
Ezugwu further alleged that it was the government in the state that was behind the purported inauguration, and stressed that neither the governor nor anybody in government has the authority over CNPP.
“We know that it is the government of the state that is behind all these crises. They have taken over the leadership of the organization in the state and want to impose leaders on us. Neither the state governor nor any body in government has authority over CNPP”.
Crossriverwatch investigations reveal that the Special Adviser to Governor Liyel Imoke on Political Affairs Mr. Olafor was behind the purported reconstitution of CNPP executives in the state. It was further gathered that some members of the ruling PDP in the state are part of the executives and hold sensitive positions.
However, while inaugurating the new executive, Mr. Mike Abe who conducted the inauguration described CNPP as a conglomeration of the leadership of different political parties.
He said the inauguration was done because the leadership of Mr. Cletus Obun was no longer in existence since he has been allegedly removed as chairman of ACN by his party.
Abe said that the new leadership will pursue the sole aim of CNPP which is to either appreciate the ruling government when it did well or criticize the government when it is felt that its policies are anti-people.
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