The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been asked to ignore a purported ‘fraudulent’ list of the national delegates sent by the Cross River State Working Committee to the national leadership.
The APC stakeholders and the authentic national delegates elected on the 17th of May 2022 also asked the national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, to follow its constitution and guidelines as they relate to the national delegate lists submitted to the party.
In a statement signed by Chief Francis Ekpenyong, on behalf of Cross Rivers Authentic Adhoc National Delegates, made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, they said they were the original people who paid for nomination forms, participated in the process, and emerged as national delegates of their respective local government areas of the state.
“The attention of members and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Cross River State Chapter has been drawn to the fraudulent, meddlesome interference and daylight theft of the mandate of members of the party in the state who were elected national delegates in the just-concluded national delegates election of 17th May 2022.
“As members and stakeholders, we are very concerned and write to state that the party should follow its constitution and guidelines as it relates to the national delegate lists submitted to the party. That the only valid and recognised list of elected national delegates is that of the one conducted on the 17th day of May 2022, which does not include the names of the State Working Committee members of the party.
“That the purported national delegate lists suggest a parallel exercise and carry the names of the State Working Committee Members, such as Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba under the Yala Local Government Area, Barr. Mensah Offiong Bassey under the Calabar South Local Government Area, Lion Okara Ekawu under the Bekwarra Local Government Area, Engr. (Dr.) Thomas Uko Aruku under the Ogoja Local Government Area, Erasmus Ekpang under the Boki Local Government Area, and Hon. Prince Titi Ndifon under the Akamkpa Local Government Area, should therefore be ignored and/or disregarded as forged, as the original national delegate lists were altered and/or falsified.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we hereby state clearly that Governor Ayade, Rt. Hon. Legor Idagbor, Barr. Alphonus Ogar Eba, Sen. Stephen Adi Odey, Engr. (Dr.) Thomas Uko Aruku and just a few others did not take part in the national delegate election, and they are not delegates from their respective local government areas of Cross River State.
“We make bold to say that the so-called national delegate lists presented to the party by the state working committee members of the party were based on a poorly scripted skit comedy shot by the state chairman of the party and his co-conspirators.
“That the actions and inactions of the State Working Committee members of our dear party tend to compromise the process and to deprive the elected national delegates of their rights as delegates to participate in the nomination of the presidential candidate of their own choice.
“That they have no right to alter the delegate lists without following due process and the party constitutions.”
While appealing to the NWC to do the right thing, Chief Ekpenyong urged the national stakeholders to act fast and follow the already existing delegate lists sent to the National Secretary dated the 17th day of May, 2022, which was the date the national delegate election took place at the 18 local government areas of Cross River State.
