The rescheduled ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) billed to hold in the 326 electoral wards of Anambra state was yesterday marred by crisis.

Lamenting the unfortunate turn of events, secretary of the state’s Congress Committee, Chief Chijioke Owanta, complained of what he described as “the non-transparent posture of the committee chairman.”

According to Owanta, “The Congress Committee Chairman, Chief Ezennia Ogbuehi, up till this moment never allowed me to see any of the congress materials or know where he kept them or the actual quantity supplied for the process in Anambra.”

He accused the chairman of breaching virtually all the guidelines of the congress as stipulated by the party. “The chairman,” he alleged, “was indeed running a one-man show,” hence his decision to speak out so as to exonerate himself.

Owanta listed contraventions of the congress guidelines by the chairman to include non-publication of list of candidates/venues at least 48 hours to the congress, violation of the 72 hours allowed for candidates to complete and return their application forms and not allowing the secretary to see or know where the congress materials were kept, whereas it is the constitutional duty of the secretary to take possession of the materials.

A chairmanship candidate, Chief Obiorah Igwedibia, confirmed all the allegations. He accused the committee of having been hijacked by Senator Chris Ngige and called for the cancellation of the exercise.

Tension had heightened when the youth wing of the party led by the duo of Chuks Obele and Chuks Morocco stormed the Awka secretariat of the Congress Committee while the sale of forms and screening candidates was still in progress.

It took the prompt intervention of a combined team of security agents and party elders to persuade them to sheathe their sword.

Even though party elders promised to look into their grievances, the angry youths threatened that APC would become extinct in the state if the congress was not cancelled for a transparent well-organised process.

They urged APC’s national headquarters in Abuja to ensure that no one plays godfather in the party.

However, reacting to the allegations, the Congress Committee Chairman, Chief Ogbuehi, insisted that every process followed was in keeping with the party’s guidelines. He said that the venues/candidates lists were published on Monday evening, adding that they were using Option A4 in order for the candidates to be able to prove their popularity amongst the voters.

•Photo shows Senator Chris Ngige.

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