Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Enugu APC faction mulls court option to enforce rights

By Lawrence Njoku (Enugu)
19 July 2017   |   4:16 am
There were strong indications yesterday that the crisis rocking the Enugu state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) may become a subject of litigation if the national leadership of the party is unable to resolve the issues.

APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun

There were strong indications yesterday that the crisis rocking the Enugu state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) may become a subject of litigation if the national leadership of the party is unable to resolve the issues.

It was gathered that members of the faction led by Adolphus Ude may approach the court to enforce their fundamental human rights over the alleged ratification of their suspension by a caucus of the party.”

Ude, who leads the faction as ”Acting State Chairman,” told reporters after their meeting in Enugu that the suspended State Chairman, Ben Nwoye remained suspended from office and should be called to question on allegations of mismanagement of funds received by the party during the last general elections.

He said the faction was fighting a just cause stressing, “We are following the constitution of the party which says you have to exhaust the mechanisms of the party before you go to court. So the matter is still before the national leadership and if the national leadership fails to pay attention, the party members will enforce their fundamental human rights by going to court.

“We have submitted our resolutions to the National Secretariat and we believe our protest will get positive response. If the national leadership fail to react, then we will show that you cannot beat a child and tell him not to cry. We are fighting a just cause and the legacy of the party must be sustained, despite whatever anybody thinks.”

On the reported intervention in the crisis by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Ude said he was not aware of it but added “inviting Ben Nwoye without the other party means denying the other party fair hearing. A fair hearing is enshrined in our party’s constitution and the National Chairman cannot afford to violate it.”

Speaking on last weekend’s caucus meeting where his (Ude’s) suspension was ratified and which was convened by Nwoye, Ude said the decision of the caucus was not binding on the aggrieved faction as according to him, “Nwoye is a former chairman and has no right to summon state meetings.

“Again members of the caucus are responsible persons and would not go out of their way to do illegality. That was why they avoided signing the communiqué reached at the meeting.

“The composition of the said caucus does not conform to the party’s constitution as former local government chairmen are not members of the caucus. The last caucus meeting of Abia APC was not chaired by the State Chairman, how then would a suspended one in Enugu chair similar meeting here?”

0 Comments