Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi has threatened to arrest any stakeholder that would conduct a parallel exercise, as his party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, holds ward congress today, Saturday.
Umahi equally vowed to send to prison any stakeholder that caused a crisis or breached peace in the state, especially during the APC Congresses.
The governor made this known while addressing party leaders/stakeholders of the state during the emergency APC meeting that took place at the ecumenical centre, Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state.
Daily Post gathered that the majority of party leaders of APC agreed on a consensus candidate, while others in seven LGAs of the state failed to agree and had allegedly resulted in a crisis.
It was gathered that party leaders in Ikwo, Ishielu, Ezza north, Ohaukwu, Ebonyi, Ohaozara and Ivo local government areas disagreed on consensus and called for the governor’s intervention.
According to the governor, “Mobilization even when there is consensus is very important, if the people were not satisfied with the mobilization we cancel it, because we want the world to know that this is the home of APC.
“If you have done your consensus and there is no mobilization to justify that, we will assume you did the election in your backyard, because we have the party register and let me warn that what you enter must not go beyond the party registration.
“Let me welcome the seven-man Congress committee to Ebonyi state, first is to comment on the issue of our contentious National chairman, I want you to listen to this very well, I’m not a lawyer but this Constitution of the party is meant for all of us, and if you went to school you will be able to read and understand. Because if the Constitution of the party is meant for the lawyers, it should have been on a limited number.
“The Constitution of APC states that where a vacancy exists in any organ of the party, that the National executive committee should set up a caretaker committee, and that is what the National committee is.
“Another section I just saw now in article 18 said, “where the national committee has set up a standing or ad-hoc committee(s) and has assumed jurisdiction on any issue, no organ of the party shall deliberate upon or set up a similar or parallel committee, which means that nobody conducts parallel Congress in Ebonyi state.
“If you see anybody conducting parallel Congress in Ebonyi state, my directive is that security agencies should arrest anybody that is there and Ebubeagu should also do the same.
“It’s one contravention of the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and two contravention of the executive order because of Covid-19 and there is a law on gathering concerning this Covid-19.
“It’s important that we noted this very well, I have done everything as a leader to ensure everybody is carried along well, unfortunately we still have over two third (2/3) of the forms that are still awaiting people to purchase them.
“Some people who do not believe in my leadership have gone to Abuja to purchase their forms, no problem, but they must comport themselves with the 7-man committee. If they do anything outside that, there will be consequences for that.
“If you want to do parallel Congress you have to go to Enugu or Akwa Ibom or any other place to do it. Because there will be a fight if they try it and don’t say I did not warn you. The screening has to continue till late in the night, we want to ensure that everybody who wants to be screened should be screened,” he stated.
