South South Leaders Protest Exclusion From APC National Directorate

Some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State have raised the alarm over the non-inclusion of a South South officer in the party’s directorate at the national office in Abuja.

The leaders under the aegis of APC Good Governance Group (AGGG), in a statement issued at the weekend, accused the governing party of inequality, unfairness, and marginalisation in the political recognition of zones in the country.

Noting that the South South, particularly Cross River State, has been wrongfully excluded from national level, the aggrieved APC members under the leadership of Ntufam Okon Ita alleged that that the South South has been shortchanged by an “unfair and unacceptable sharing formula”.

This, they said, appears to be deliberate even when Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, had written to the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, recommending a party chieftain, Adie Ferdinand Atsu, to be appointed director of Organization in the party’s national office.

The zonal party leaders recalled that Governor Ayade had in’n a letter dated June 24, 2022 and addressed to the national chairman of the party recommended Atsu for the position of director, saying he is “a devoted , long standing and financially committed party faithful who has constantly worked to uphold the ideals and mission of the great party at the state and national level.

Lamenting that the party’s national leadership failed to act on the governor’s recommendation, the APC zonal leaders said this is an anomaly that must be corrected in the interest of the party to ensure fairness, justice, and equity.

They said the APC has about eight directorates for the six geopolitical zones at the national headquarters recommended by the party’s constitution, adding that while some zones have three representatives, the South-South has none, even when the governor recommended someone immediately the NWC assumed office.

The statement reads in part: “Nothing is yet to be done even when other zones have occupied their slots. The Eight directorates are enough for every zone to have at least one slot.

“The South-South geopolitical zone is embittered at the way and manner our collective interest has been shortchanged in the National Office of the party even on the Governor’s recommendation for the position.

“It is our belief and this has been our stand all the while that APC’s success is our success, but in a situation where political appointments were shared and allocated but the person recommended to occupy the South-South slot is yet to be appointed is no longer acceptable to us. And it is becoming counter-productive”.

The APC members who said the development is becoming highly worrisome insisted that something urgent has to be done to salvage the situation.

“The only thing that we all believe is for the leadership of APC to considerably appoint Mr Ferdinand Atsu as the Director of Organization in the National Office of the party in line with Article 16,ix, P79 of the party’s constitution which recommends federal character must be met according to geopolitical zones,” they added.

Accordingly, the group also appealed to the national woman leader of the party, Dr Betta Edu, to use her good office as a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) in ensuring that Adie Ferdinand Atsu is given the position in line with Governor Ayade’s recommendation to the national chairman of the party.