Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Weppa Wanno in Etsako East Local Government Area have called on the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to urgently intervene in the lingering leadership crisis threatening the unity of the party in the area.
In a statement issued after a stakeholders’ meeting, the leaders expressed concern that the crisis, if left unresolved, could weaken the APC’s grassroots structure and derail collective efforts to consolidate the party’s strength ahead of future elections.
According to them, the issue is beyond a mere chairmanship tussle and involves “a calculated attempt to impose a candidate who couldn’t win his polling unit in the last Governorship election as the councilor/local government chairman, simply because he is loyal to the acting APC state chairman Mr. Jarret Tenebe,” who they allege is not from the local government.
The stakeholders accused some individuals of fueling division within the party and using the governor’s name to justify “unconstitutional actions.” They described the recent process to install a preferred candidate in a “Nollywood-style” conducted in clear violation of the law.
They explained that a local councillor who defected to the APC only 48 hours earlier was allegedly forced to resign, after which a hurried and questionable primary was conducted.
“The law is clear: when a councillor resigns, the House of Assembly must be officially notified. Since the House is currently on recess, the seat can only be declared vacant when it reconvenes, and a proper by-election must be conducted within 90 days,” the stakeholders stated.
They warned that any process outside this lawful procedure is illegal and an attempt to undermine the authority of party leaders at all levels.
The stakeholders also expressed fears that allowing such practices to continue would erode trust, discourage loyal members, and destabilize grassroots politics in Etsako East.
“Our mission is to build a stronger APC, support the government, and unite our people behind the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But this cannot be achieved if internal crises are allowed to fester,” the statement added.
They, therefore, appealed to Governor Okpebholo to urgently wade into the crisis, deploy his political wisdom, reconcile aggrieved factions, and end the culture of imposition within the party.
The stakeholders reaffirmed their loyalty to Governor Okpebholo and the APC leadership, stressing that peace, fairness, and unity in Etsako East are vital to ensuring the party remains strong and capable of delivering good governance to the people.
