From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The leadership crisis rocking Cross River chapter of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has taken new dimension as two factions have emegered with each alleging anti-party activities during the last general elections.
While one faction is led by the new interim State Executive Committee with Macauley Ubi Okpa, Ojua Pius Ojua, Mike Njah, Obem Edim and Eastern Ekpenyong as vice chairman, secretary, organising secretary and public relations officer (PRO) respectively, the other faction is led by Anthony Odey.
The Macauley Ubi Okpa-led executive emerged a few days ago after an extra-ordinary meeting convened by chapters and wards chairman from across the state and held in Calabar to discuss the way forward for the party accusing the Odey-led leadership of ineptitude and contributing to woeful outing in the last general elections.
At the meeting, the leaders said they are committed to re-positioning the party and subsequently dissolved the state exco over alleged woeful performance at last general elections.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party after its extra-ordinary meting and signed by about eleven members including Prince Ojua Pius Ojua, Macauley Ubi Opka (Yakurr), Etim Okom (Bakassi), Lucky Evans (Abi), Atiafele John (Obanliku) and Obem Edim (Obubra), the party leaders accused the Anthony Odey-led exco of corrupt practices and failure to drive the ideals and programmes of the party, leading to poor outing at the polls.
They also accused the exco of unilaterally suspending members including Dr Sam Eno, the senatorial candidate of the party in the central senatorial district, without cogent reasons just as the governorship candidate, Dr Wilfred Bonse, was encouraged by the last exco to campaign for the governorship position even when they knew that Dr Bonse’s name was not included in the INEC final list and therefore not qualified to contest the elections.
According to them, this adversely impacted our electoral fortunes especially the presidential elections as no single bill board or poster was produced by during the electioneering just as no single politician of note defected the NNPP while the Odey-led state exco gave wrong impression that all was well with our party members.
The letter read in part: “In the light of the above, the only way to rescue the party is the immediate dissolution of the entire state executive committee of the party to be replaced with an interim executive committee pending when a new permanent executive committee will be inaugurated by the national executive committee well as indefinite suspension of Mr Tony Odey and expulsion Dr. Wilfred Bonse from the party.
“The immediate lifting of the spurious suspension of Dr Sam Eno from the party and three man committee has been set up to engage some of our party members who resigned from the party because of the activities of the state chairman. We call on the national executive committee of the party to immediately recognize the new interim state exco and fix a date for the official composition of a new and permanent state executive committee.”
In a swift reaction, state publicity secretary of NNPP, Charles Odey, said: “The Anthony Odey-led executive still remains intact and as we speak there are no crisis rocking the state party.
“The process of constituting or replacing members of the party who resigned to context the last election can only take place after the National Executive Committee gives approval, and fulfills the requirements of the law.
“The general public should disregard the actions of those whose intention are to destroy the peace and unity enjoyed by party men and women. Most of those who attended are not registered Exco members of the party.”