Two factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday organised parallel ward congresses in Abia, as a leadership crisis continues to rock the party.
The congresses came barely two days after the party re-affirmed the suspension of its chieftain, Chief Ikechi Emenike.
Emenike is the leader of a faction of the party, challenging the Donatus Nwankpa-led Executive Committee (EXCO).
The EXCO at its expanded caucus meeting on Thursday announced Emenike’s suspension for alleged party misconduct.
The development, however, did not deter Emenike’s camp, as it went ahead to conduct its congresses, supervised by the National Ward Congresses Committee.
Briefing newsmen on the situation at the state Secretariat of the party in Umuahia, the Chairman, APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, said the party declared the committee members wanted.
He said the committee members failed to report to the party secretariat in Umuahia upon their arrival in the state.
Nwankpa said the party set up screening and appeal committees for the congress, in line with the party Constitution.
He said that his EXCO had also taken delivery of all congress documents from its national secretariat.
“The party duly took custody of them, signed them 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 lpcommittees at various locations.
“They have come back and we have screened candidates for the congresses.
“Unfortunately for us, the people who are supposed to receive the document from the screening committee did not appear.
We are not unaware of some clandestine meetings going on among those claiming to be stakeholders,” Nwankpa said.
