By Francis Sadhere
All Progressives Congress (APC) party stakeholders in Warri North, South and Warri South West Local Government Areas of Delta State yesterday said the Chairman and the Secretary of the party do not have the constitutional power to unilaterally expel any of its members from the party.
Reacting to an advertorial of a notice of purported expulsion of Hon. Temi Harriman, Dr. Alex Ideh and Mr. A.S. Mene from APC, Delta State Chapter, as published in some national dailies, and ostensibly signed by the State Party Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, and its Secretary, Comrade Chris Onodjacha, the APC stakeholders said the purported expulsion of their great leaders is null, void and of no effect.
The APC stakeholders who made their position known at a press conference in Warri, said the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and case law prohibits the imposition of any punitive sanction without observance of the principle of Natural Justice, adding that the purported expulsion of it leaders was motivated by vindictiveness and ethnic bias, saying it is no coincidence that all the members purportedly expelled were extraction of the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality.
Addressing newsmen at the press briefing, Mr. Mason Ebiereneyin, APC LGA Chairman, denied allegation that those purportedly expelled by the party were engaged in any anti-party activities during the March 28 and April 11 general elections, describing the allegation as a monumental falsehood.
According to Mr. Ebiereneyin the abysmal failure of the party at both the Presidential and Gubernatorial election could be attributed to the APC gubernatorial candidate of the state, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor’s meddlesomeness in the election primaries replacing winners with losers as the case of Hon. Temisan Omatseye and Chris Anira and others.
They accused Emerhor of not campaigning in Warri North and Warri South Local Government areas, adding that Emerhor’s quarrelsomeness with party leaders created lack of internal cohesion and divisiveness within the party in the state.
The APC stakeholders also alleged that Olorogun Emerhor and his cohorts did not plan to win elections in the state, but that their interest was to secure Federal appointments from General Mohammadu Buhari’s success.
They also said that Dr. Ideh and Mr. Mene as leaders of the party in Warri North council areas have constantly worked doggedly and tirelessly for the party against all odds, adding that “APC secured the highest number of votes in Warri North Local Government in the Presidential and National Assembly elections and is one of the highest in the state in the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly election.”
They noted that the APC gubernatorial candidate, Olorogun Emerhor did not win his own ward in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state, just as the party performed abysmally in all the 25 local government council areas in the state, wondering why only the purportedly expelled members stand accused of anti-party activities when other council areas have also failed.
“On the allegation that Hon. Temi Harriman failed to mobilize voters with the Presidential Elections Support Fund in her custody thereby undermining the party’s ability to win votes in the Delta South senatorial District during the Presidential elections, we can confirm that Warri North Local Government Area received the funds earmarked for the mobilization of voters from the Presidential Funds from Hon. Temi Harriman and the same was applied for that purpose.
“It is not a secret that the party also performed abysmally in Delta Central Senatorial District and the Delta North Senatorial District. In the same token, if the allegation was in good faith, the members of the party that had custody of the Presidential Election Support Fund for the mobilization of voters in Delta Central and North Senatorial Districts ought to have been expelled too from the party,” they said.
Others who signed the press statement include: Mr. Mike Odeli (APC leader), Hon. David Olayinka Atie (APC leader), Alero Tenumah (Delta South Senatorial Woman Leader), Siko Eyenmi (leader Ward 9), Odeku (L.G.A Secretary), Benjamin Cole (State Assistant Auditor), Choice Olueh (Leader Warri South West), Dr. Ayo Ayomike (APC Leader), Cornel Leigh (APC Leader), Mene Oritseyeneye Kingsley (Ward Chairman) and Ekokodje Vincent (Ward Chairman).
