Elder Sam Bassey, a Special Adviser to the Minister of Niger Delta, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted the February 24, 2018 State Congress that produced Eten John as the party chairman in Cross River state after consensus arrangement failed.
Elder Bassey, who said this on Tuesday while fielding questions from journalists at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, added that the resolution on the state congress was agreed upon by a 15-member committee with five representatives from each of the three senatorial districts.
He recalled that the 2017 congress which date was fixed by the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, when he received a delegation from Cross River was frustrated by those who mulled the consensus option.
Elder Bassey said the decision of the 15-member committee to settle for Mr Etim John as a consensus was also challenged by the party stalwarts who later canvassed for the conduct of congress to election the state party chairman.
“When the heat continued, they said that we should conduct state congress. So, we met Deputy National Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni and the National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunasor. We told them that we would go for state congress.
“At the congress, we elected Etim John who polled 56 voted against Mathew Atigbo who had 36 votes,” he also said.
Elder Bassey said that with the election of Mr John, the disagreement in Cross River State chapter of the APC was over.
He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) witnessed the congress that produced the new chairman.
The office of Cross River APC chairman became vacant after the appointment of Pastor Usani, who was the pioneer state chairman, as minister for Niger-Delta affairs.
His Cross River Central senatorial district nominated another person to replace him, but was rejected by other stakeholders.
The retention of Usani’s deputy from the North, John Ochala, as acting chairman was one of the issues causing the crisis in the state.
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