Some members of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have accused Adolor Okotie-Eboh, said to be a mole planted by the state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, of plotting to disrupt last Friday’s inauguration of the party’s interim committee. The sources said Mr. Okotie-Eboh, the former chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), orchestrated a protest that nearly marred the event.
It was gathered that the protest created tension, compelling event organizers to invite law enforcement agents to Grand Hotels, venue of the inauguration, in order to restore calm. Mr. Okotie-Eboh’s group of protesters alleged that they were schemed out of the proposed list of the executive committee.
Speaking with reporters, Mr. Okotie-Eboh accused some APC leaders in the state including, Spanner Okpozo, Ovie Okokori, Temi Harriman, Fidelis Tilije and Olisaemeka Akamukali of scheming him and his followers out of the executive list. He expressed dissatisfaction with the list of those to be sworn-in.
“That list has not been approved by the national body of APC in accordance with the guidelines. That is what we are protesting. You can see for yourselves that people are concerned because of the lopsided nature of the number given to the interim group from Democratic People’s Party (DPP) who are not members of Legacy Group which we are against.”
Despite the protest, the APC’s national officials led by the South-South Vice Chairman, Tom Ikimi, went ahead to inaugurate the five-man executive. The event was witnessed by Mr. Francis Okpozo, Mr. Frank Kokori, Mr. Harriman, Mr. Tilije and Mr. Akamukali, who is the interim national auditor.
The interim committee members are Jones Ode Erue (chairman), Chidi Okonji (secretary), Steven Edewor (treasurer), Precious Enwenweayoi (publicity secretary) and Harvest Igben (organizing secretary).
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Ikimi described Mr. Okotie-Eboh’s complaint as “irrelevant.” He added: “Okotie-Eboh had approached me several times to make him the chairman of the party in this state. I told him I had no power to do so. I told him that we should follow due process and if eventually he emerges, I will not obstruct it. I do not understand the desperation; he went to the national headquarters for them to make him the chairman. What has transpired here today indicates that this man is desperate.”
Mr. Ikimi charged the interim executive to maintain neutrality in steering the affairs of the party to the end of March when a congress would be held to elect the substantive executive.
Reacting to the development, Mr. Tilije, a three-time former running mate to Great Ogboru, a governorship candidate of the DPP, described Okotie-Eboh as a drowning man whose ambition would be to the detriment of the APC in the state following his antecedents.
“I was there live and everything was conducted in an orderly manner and credible persons emerged to steer the affairs of the party. Adolo Okotie-Eboh says he must be APC state chairman at all costs. Adolo Okotie-Eboh is my friend, he is a lovely guy, but he has many enemies around. I was at a time supporting him but everybody I talked to for support continued to object to his candidature. He has so many enemies; maybe people believe that he is getting money from somewhere and he doesn’t share it around appropriately, but the point we are making is that for this new party in Delta state, we are not going to [accept] anybody who will be a money-collecting chairman.
“We want an independent mind to run this party, simple. ACN never had good records in Delta State apart from selling out to PDP. Adolo Okotie-Eboh is funded by people we don’t know, and we don’t want to know them. The APC in the state will be independent and we will run with the power of the people.”
The APC’s interim chairman, Mr. Ode Erue, confirmed that the protest by Mr. Okotie-Eboh’s group was carried out in bad faith.
Off the record, several APC members told our correspondent that Mr. Okotie-Eboh lost out because of his close relationship with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. They alleged that the state governor had planted him as a mole in the defunct ACN where he reportedly served the governor’s interests in past elections in the state.
“Making Okotie-Eboh the state chairman of the APC would spell doom for the future of the party since he still maintains a cordial political romance with Uduaghan and others in PDP both in the state and national levels,” one source said.
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