A group of All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Cross River State has locked the party’s State secretariat, vowing never to unlock it until the party chairman, Mr. Alphonsus Eba, resigns.
The aggrieved members sang, chanted and displayed placards in front of the party office with various inscriptions such as, ‘Okadigbo Must Goooo’, ‘APC in Cross River State Deserves a Leader, not a Ruler/Terror’, ‘Our Chapter Chairmen and Secretaries Cannot be Crazy and Stupid’, ‘APC Cross River Deserves Fresh Air’, among others.
The protest followed a communique issued on Tuesday and signed by a forum of 18 chapter chairmen and 17 secretaries, represented by High Chief Kelvin Njong, calling for Mr Eba’s immediate resignation.
In the communiqué issued after a crucial meeting in Calabar, on Tuesday, the Forum accused Mr Eba of “anti-progressive actions” that have allegedly weakened the party’s structures at the grassroots.
The Chairman of the Forum, High Chief Kelvin Njong, who read the communique, based their demand for Mr Eba’s resignation on alleged “high handedness, insolent, underrating, and transactional approach in party administration,” accusing the Chairman of instigating chapter and ward party officials against the chapter leadership.
The group alleged that for three months, stipends meant for party officials at the chapter and ward levels were withheld, crippling administrative activities across the 18 Local Government Areas of the State.
“This action generated hatred, contempt, ridicule and disrepute on the Party leadership at the respective Local Government Chapters of our Party, contrary to section 21:2 (ii & v) of the APC Constitution as amended, 26 March, 2022,” the Communique stated.
The forum further decried what it described as lopsided fund allocation within the party, alleging that while the 36-member State Executive Committee receives over ₦40 million monthly, more than 5,700 local and ward officials are left to share ₦9.2 million.
It also accused the State Chairman of failing to remit proceeds from the sale of forms during the 2023 general election and other statutory remittances from the national headquarters.
“This is gross injustice and typical of the chairman. We also have other sundry remittances from the National Secretariat that are unaccounted for.
”Mr Eba’s actions and tendencies have brought disunity, rancour and despondency among party officials. This is unhealthy for a progressive party preparing for the 2027 elections,” the communiqué stressed.
The APC chapter chairmen and secretaries demanded that all outstanding stipends owed to local government and ward officials be paid immediately, and called for a review of the party’s financial sharing formula to allocate 70 per cent of funds to local structures and 30 per cent to the state level.
The coalition also called for Barrister Eba’s resignation, saying he had lost the confidence of the party’s grassroots leadership.
“We strongly advise that he should honourably resign as State Chairman to pave the way for someone with the capacity, character, and temperament to lead the APC to victory in 2027,” the communique added.
It therefore, demanded for the immediate payment of all the outstanding stipends of the local government and ward to the chapter chairmen to alleviate their sufferings.
“Going forward, we wish to recommend that the stipends earmarked for the local government and ward party officials should be deducted at source and paid to the chapter chairmen who are leaders of the party and chairmen of caucuses at the local government level.
“We strongly advocate for a review of the sharing formula of the funds accruing to the party.
“Ideally, this should be shared in the ratio of 70 percent to the local government and wards comprising 5,778 officials and 30 percent to the state officials that are 36 in number.
“He (Eba) should also be mandated to pay our outstanding percentage arising from the sales of delegates and nomination forms in the 2023 general election.
“In the overall interest of the unity and progress of our great party, Mr Eba should be mandated to resign honourably due to his anti-progressive actions and tendencies which has affected the party negatively,” the forum further demanded.
The group however reaffirmed its loyalty to Governor Bassey Otu, pledging full support for his administration and re-election bid.
Responding to the allegations, the State chairman, Mr. Alphonsus Eba dismissed the communiqué as an attempt to divert attention from alleged large-scale financial misconduct among some chapter chairmen.
He accused the chapter leaders of embezzling over ₦60 million meant for ward and chapter executives and explained that their stipends were suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
“They are running away from their shadows. We have paid all 5,778 party executives directly into their bank accounts, and payments are up to date. Only the 17 chapter chairmen’s stipends are withheld until they clear themselves of the fraud allegations,” he said.
The Chairman further alleged that the affected officials had been squandering over ₦4 million monthly in local government appointee dues and ₦3.6 million from other sources, without accountability or consideration for other party officers.
“Chapter chairmen collect Local Government Area appointees dues of more than N4 million monthly and squander without taking care of other executive members at the chapter and ward levels.
“They collect N3.6 million from some quarters and squander causing a disproportionate salary structure that is in excess of what State Executive Committee members earn.
“This is against the spirit of our administration and our commitment for transparency and accountability,” he stated.
Mr. Eba explained that no chapter chairman has the power to call for the resignation of the State Chairman or State Executive Committee member, stressing that, on the contrary, the state executive committee has full powers to discipline and sanction them adding that this will be done immediately.
“This administration stands firmly for transparency and accountability. No amount of blackmail will distract us from sanitising the system,” Eba asserted.
As the struggle for control of the party machinery intensifies across the State, both camps appear unyielding, with one group calling for reform and resignation, and the other insisting on discipline and accountability.
