The crisis rocking the Abia State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC is far from over as the party on Saturday held a parallel ward congress in the state.
Briefing newsmen at the party secretariat in Umuahia on Saturday, chairman of Caretaker Committee of the party, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa said the party had taken delivery of congress documents from the national secretariat of APC after which screening and appeal committees were set up in line with the constitution of the party.
According to Nwankpa, candidates who made payments were screened and cleared to participate in the congress by the committee.
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However, the people who were to receive the documents from screening committee absconded.
The committee had failed to report to the party secretariat in Umuahia upon arrival to the state, ABN TV reports.
While stating that all documents for the Congress are in the custody of his Exco, he described as primary school result whatever result that emerged from any other faction.
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“The committee that brought the form duly delivered the document to the APC secretariat in Umuahia here. The party duly took custody of it. Signed for it and members who paid to the national account, not state account were given forms.
“And by the party regulation, after the sale of forms, the state party chairman is to set up a screening and appeal committee on screening.
“Those forms were duly handed over to the two committees at various locations. They have come back and we have screened candidates for the congresses.
“Unfortunately for us, the people (national ward congress committee) who are supposed to receive the document from the screening committee did not appear. We are not unaware of some clandestine meetings going on, claiming to be stakeholders” he said.
Hon. Nwankpa, therefore, declared the committee wanted, alleging that it has come to destroy the party in the state.
It is suspected that the National ward congress committee has accorded recognition to a faction of the party whose leaders are unknown.
ABN TV recalls that the party had on Thursday announced the suspension of its chieftain, Ikechi Emenike who according to sources is behind a faction opposing the chairmanship of Hon. Donatus Nwankpa-led Exco