Barring any last minute changes, the Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee of the All Progressives
Congress will on Tuesday meet to take a final decision on the list of
delegates and candidates for the June 23 national convention.
It was gathered in Abuja on Sunday that this is coming on
the heels of tension generated by speculations that the Governor Rochas
Okorocha-led Screening Appeals Committee had disqualified the three
aspirants vying for positions zoned to the South-East.
The three persons are: the incumbent National Organising
Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, the National Auditor, George Moghalu
and the National Vice-Chairman (South-East), Emma Enekwu.
A top ranking member of the party’s National Working
Committee who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
of the issue, said, the Imo State governor disqualified the three
persons who had earlier been cleared by the screening committee based on
a “frivolous” petition.
The party leader, however, explained that unknown to the
governor, the final decision on the list of delegates and contestants
remains the prerogative of the NWC.
The source said, “It is unfortunate that the chairman of that committee (Okorocha) doesn’t seem to understand his mandate.
“The appeals committee does not have the power to ban or
disqualify anybody. Its assignment is restricted to dealing with appeals
emanating from the conduct of the convention but because he has a score
to settle he thinks he can disqualify people by fiat.”
However, when our correspondent contacted Emma Eneukwu on
the telephone, he said, “It (disqualification) is not true. Does he
(Okorocha) have any right to disqualify me? For what! It’s not true.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the APC National Auditor,
George Moghalu, told Our correspondent on the telephone “I am not aware
of it, besides, the (screening appeals) committee has no such powers.”
When contacted, the Secretary of the APC National
Convention Committee, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), told one of our
correspondents that the function of the screening appeals sub-committee
was limited to reviewing cases of those who were screened out by the
screening committee.
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