The crisis over who controls the affairs of the Delta state chapter of the All Progressive Congress, (APC), has taken a new dimension as the Jones Erue faction of the Ogboru/Omo-Agege camp ran into brick wall on Friday in Asaba, the state capital.
This followed the sealing off of the state secretariat of the APC by armed policemen from the Delta state police command thereby preventing the state factional chairman of the party, Mr. Jones Erue, from entering the secretariat to inaugurate his factional executive committee.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that the police action followed an earlier letter of introduction from the then APC national chairman, Mr. John Odigie-Oyegun introducing Mr. Cyril Ogodo to the police as the only recognised elected chairman of the party in the state.
The police operatives, our correspondent gathered, after sealing off the secretariat, used their hilux vans to barricade the entrance of the secretariat to prevent the Erue faction of the Ogboru/Omo-Agege camp from entering the secretariat for the factional executive committee inauguration.
It was observed that on Monday, more fire was ignited to consume the APC in the state when the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole sworn in Mr. Jones Erue as a factional chairman for the Ogboru/Omo-Agege led camp without any recourse to the ongoing four suits on the matter and a subsisting court order restraining Oshiomhole and the APC from recognizing any other person than the Cyril Ogodo led State Working Committee that was sworn-in by the then John Odigie-Oyegun led NWC.
Worried by the current disunity tearing the party apart, a chieftain of the party in the state and former speaker of the Delta state house of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei, has called for calm among party faithful even as he enjoined members to sheathe their swords and eschew inflammatory utterances that could do more harm to the party.
Mr. Ochei, while assuring party faithful that concerted efforts were in top gear to resolve the contentious issues, he admonished that the situation does not call for derogatory or uncomplimentary statements capable of heating up the polity.
The former speaker who was reacting to a flurry of statements credited to some members of the APC in state, noted that “The National Working Committee under the able and wise leadership of His Excellency, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole possess the requisite capacity and expertise to effect an amicable resolution of the issue on ground.”
According to Ochei, his call for caution is premised on the fact that Comrade Oshiimhole is a stickler for justice and peace, backgrounded on his pedigrees as a time-tested unionist and excellent administrator of human and material resources.
“Comrade Oshiomhole is a renowned leader whose belief in the rule of law as well as natural justice, equity and good conscience is legendary and as such will ensure that the matter will be resolved satisfactorily either through the judicial process or the internal machinery of the party.”, Ochei stated.
