By Chesa Chesa
Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State on Friday stormed the national headquarters of the party in Abuja to reject the announcement of Donatus Nwakpa as National Welfare Secretary of the party.
The APC leadership had on Wednesday announced Nwakpa as the Southeast nominee to replace Mr. Friday Nwosu, a member of the APC National Working Committee, who died last March in Abuja.
But the Abia APC caucus/stakeholders led by Stanley Ohajuruka, presented their letter of protest to the party leadership and addressed journalists afterwards, lamenting that their preferred nominee as clearly made known by Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Benjamin Kalu, was turned down by APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
According to the protest letter: “The Abia APC Caucus and Stakeholders have rejected the process employed by the National Working Committee in replacing the Late FN. Nwosu as the National Welfare Secretary and the representative of Abia at the National Working Committee.
“The Abia APC has a leader in the person of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is supported by the Caucus and stakeholders in nominating the replacement of the demised National Welfare Secretary and the representative of Abia at the NWC. The said nomination letter is hereby attached.
“The above position of the Caucus/stakeholders was communicated to the National Chairman in his office through two separate delegations led by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senator Chris Adighije, respectively, and the National Secretary by a delegation led by Senator Nkechi Nwaogu.
“A letter of the stakeholders dated August 15, 2023, signed by major stakeholders, to which was annexed the list of attendance of the nomination meeting officially conveying Caucus/Stakeholders nomination to the NWC through the National Chairman, through the Zonal Chairman, South East and through the State Executive
committee was conveyed as well. The said letter is also attached.
“Considering that Abia APC does not have a Governor and that the Deputy Speaker, who is the leader of the party in the state, and the Stakeholders were not carried along by the NWC in reaching their decision, we hereby call on our National Chairman and the NWC to revisit their earlier decision.
“May we also call the attention of the President, the leader of our great party, to this passionate appeal that will help Abia APC heal from the wounds inflicted on us by similar acts of external interference in the activities of our State chapter in times past and allow us to unite and reposition Abia APC for greater prospects under the God-given leadership of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
The protest visit of the Abia stakeholders came a day after similar one by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to protest the announcement of Duro Meseko and Ikani Shuaibu Okolo as Deputy National Publicity Secretary, and Zonal Organising Secretary, respectively.
The presence of the Governor and the protesters he led, stalled the inauguration of the new members of the NWC as the national chairman reportedly stayed away from the headquarters that day.
