The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Annie Okonkwo, has expressed dissatisfaction over the outcome of the party’s ward congress in many parts of the country, especially in Anambra State, describing the manner at which the exercise was conducted as undemocratic.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Thursday, Okonkwo said he was highly disappointed with how the ward congress was carried out in Anambra and therefore called on the party leaders to intervene in the matter and imbibe true democratic principle and internal democracy.
Hear him: “I am not particularly happy about what is happening in Anambra State and what I saw. I was actually disappointed with Chief Ezennia Ogbuehi, who was the state congress committee chairman
“The congress chairman decided to sideline some members of the committee and decided to conduct the congress without following the due process and also following the guidelines of the congress.
“Honestly, I felt disappointed because I believed that we were emphasising on internal democracy. And why a lot of people are clamouring for APC is because of the equal opportunities it is going to give them. But I still believe that a lot of people still do not believe that there is going to be internal democracy.”
He spoke further: “What happened during the congress especially in Anambra State is undemocratic. Someone who was appointed as the chairman of the congress committee messed up the whole process. Despite the democratic process and guidelines put in place by the party, the congress committee chairman decided to go contrary to party’s guidelines.
“Today, it is on record that all Anambrarians are highly disappointed in the chairman of the congress committee who completely ignored the guidelines and started perpetuating what he was not told to do by the party. I think it is a lesson and we cannot continue like that. I think this is an opportunity by the party to really look into the state and see that the problem is resolved.”
Meanwhile, a member of the APC congress committee in Anambra State, Okechukwu Igbonekwu, has resigned from his position.
In his resignation letter, a copy of which was made available to journalists, Igbonekwu called on APC leaders at the national level to intervene and do the needful in correcting all the abnormalities recorded during the party’s ward congresses.